Is the food we’re consuming slowly killing us? Dr. Mark Hyman explains how many American foods have become a detriment to our health and could be the source of chronic diseases. Dr. Hyman said that 93.2% of Americans have insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or poor metabolic health that precedes many serious diseases. He explained that the food system is biggest killer on the planet and the main culprits are sugar, carbohydrates and processed foods. He said that for every 10% of calories consumed from ultra-processed food, the risk of death goes up by 14%. The American diet is 60% ultra-processed food, and for children it is 67%. Eleven million die globally from bad food.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics accepted millions of dollars from food, pharmaceutical and agribusiness companies, provided favors in return through its policies, and invested in ultra-processed food company stocks, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition. he Academy accepted more than $15 million from corporate and organizational contributors in the years 2011 and 2013-2017, according to its draft IRS forms 990. The top contributors to the Academy in 2011 and 2013-2017 were: the National Dairy Council, Conagra, Abbott Laboratories, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Hershey, General Mills and more.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics accepted millions of dollars from food, pharmaceutical and agribusiness companies, had policies to provide favors in return, and invested in ultra-processed food company stocks, according to a study published today in Public Health Nutrition.
The Academy says it is “the world’s largest organization of nutrition and dietetics practitioners” representing “more than 112,000 credentialed practitioners” including registered dietitian nutritionists and other food and nutrition professionals.
The study was produced by public health scholars and U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit investigative public health group that obtained tens of thousands of pages of internal Academy documents through state public records requests.
The study describes a “symbiotic relationship” between the Academy and corporations, and found the Academy acts as a “pro-industry voice” with policy positions that sometimes clash with its mission to improve health globally.
“The documents reveal a depressing chapter of corruption at this influential nutrition group,” said Gary Ruskin, executive director of U.S. Right to Know, and one of the study’s co-authors. “If we’re going to get healthier, live longer and lower our astounding rates of obesity and diabetes, we’ve got to clean out the corruption at health groups like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.”
The study reveals that the Academy accepted more than $15 million from corporate and organizational contributors in the years 2011 and 2013-2017, according to its draft IRS forms 990.
The top contributors to the Academy in 2011 and 2013-2017 were: National Dairy Council $1,496,912; Conagra Inc. $1,414,058; Abbott Nutrition $1,246,389; Abbott Laboratories $824,110; AND Foundation 801,261; PepsiCo Inc. $486,335; Coca-Cola Co. $477,577; Hershey Co. $368,032; General Mills Inc. $309,733; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality $296,495; Aramark Co. $293,051; Unilever Best Foods $276,791; Kellogg USA $273,272.
The documents show that the Academy and its foundation invested funds in ultra-processed food companies. The Academy’s investment portfolio in January 2015 included $244,036 in stock holdings in Nestle S.A. and $139,545 in PepsiCo. The Academy foundation’s investment portfolio in June 2013 included $209,472 in stock holdings in Nestle S.A and $125,682 in PepsiCo.
“Nutrition groups should not buy ultra-processed food stocks. They are a blaring conflict of interest,” Ruskin said. “Public health groups should not invest in companies that make products that detract from our health or directly conflict with their mission.”
The Academy appears to have allowed quid pro quo purchases of “rights and benefits” by corporate sponsors. Internal communications show that the Academy “distinguishes its ‘sponsors’ from its ‘supporters’. Corporate sponsors ‘pay a fee, and in return the Academy provides a right or a benefit’…Corporate ‘supporters‘ provide ‘a charitable contribution with no (explicit) expectation of a commercial return.’”
A landmark study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found the “benefits” of colonoscopies are not as great as they’re made out to be
After 10 years, those who were invited to get colonoscopies had an 18% lower risk of colorectal cancer than the unscreened group
There was no statistically significant reduction in the risk of death from colorectal cancer in the group invited to screening compared to those who were not screened
Colonoscopy may, in practice, reduce colorectal cancer risk similarly to other less expensive, and less invasive, screenings, including fecal testing
Colonoscopies can cause serious adverse events, including death, bleeding after removal of a precancerous polyp and perforation
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends adults between the ages of 45 and 75 be screened for colorectal cancer every 10 years.1 As a result, about 15 million colonoscopies are performed every year in the U.S.2 The procedure, which involves extensive preparation and comes with considerable risks — include the risk of death — is touted as a key way to prevent colorectal cancer deaths.
However, as noted in a landmark study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, “Although colonoscopy is widely used as a screening test to detect colorectal cancer, its effect on the risks of colorectal cancer and related death is unclear.”3 The researchers set out to determine if the benefits of colonoscopies are as great as they’re made out to be — and found that they’re far from it.
Even study author Dr. Michael Bretthauer, a gastroenterologist with the University of Oslo in Norway, stated, “[W]e may have oversold the message for the last 10 years or so, and we have to wind it back a little.”
Study: Colonoscopies Don’t Reduce Cancer Deaths
The Northern-European Initiative on Colon Cancer (NordICC) study — a randomized trial involving 84,585 adults between 55 and 64 years of age — assigned participants in a 1-to-2 ratio to receive an invitation to undergo a colonoscopy or to receive no invitation or screening. None of the participants had gotten a colonoscopy previously.
After 10 years, those who were invited to get colonoscopies had an 18% lower risk of colorectal cancer than the unscreened group.4 However, there was no statistically significant reduction in the risk of death from colorectal cancer in the group invited to screening. The researchers intend to follow the participants for another five years to see if anything changes, but according to the study:5
“The risk of death from colorectal cancer was 0.28% in the invited group and 0.31% in the usual-care group … The number needed to invite to undergo screening to prevent one case of colorectal cancer was 455 … The risk of death from any cause was 11.03% in the invited group and 11.04% in the usual-care group.”
There were some limitations to the study, including a low uptake rate for those invited to get a colonoscopy. Only 42% of those invited to do the procedure actually did so. When the researchers analyzed the results based only on those who received colonoscopies, the procedure reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 31% and reduced the risk of dying from colorectal cancer by 50%.6
Still, speaking with STAT News, Dr. Samir Gupta, a gastroenterologist who was not involved with the study, noted, “This is a landmark study. It’s the first randomized trial showing outcomes of exposing people to colonoscopy screening versus no colonoscopy. And I think we were all expecting colonoscopy to do better. Maybe colonoscopy isn’t as good as we always thought it is.”7
Colonoscopy ‘Not the Magic Bullet We Thought It Was’
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2022 there will be 106,180 new cases of colon cancer diagnosed and 44,850 new cases of rectal cancer.8 The two types are grouped together — collectively known as colorectal cancer — since they have many of the same characteristics.
The rate of people being diagnosed with either colon or rectal cancers has gone down since the 1980s. The American Cancer Society (ACS) attributes this to changes in lifestyle as well as more people getting screened.9 The death rate from colorectal cancer has also decreased over several decades — a decline that ACS again attributes to screening, as well as colorectal cancer treatments.
“One reason is that colorectal polyps are now being found more often by screening and removed before they can develop into cancers,” ACS notes.10 However, the featured study makes it clear that colonoscopies’ benefits may have been overstated. Bretthauer told STAT News:11
“It’s not the magic bullet we thought it was. I think we may have oversold colonoscopy. If you look at what the gastroenterology societies say, and I’m one myself so these are my people, we talked about 70, 80, or even 90% reduction in colon cancer if everyone went for colonoscopy. That’s not what these data show.”
Bretthauer suggested colonoscopy may, in practice, reduce colorectal cancer risk by 20% or 30%, which is close to reductions offered by other less expensive, and less invasive, screenings, including fecal testing. Bretthauer told STAT News:12
“That raises an important point for policymakers … Colonoscopy is more expensive, more time-intensive, and more unpleasant in preparation for patients. Many European countries balked at putting public health dollars towards a large, expensive program, he said, when the fecal testing was cheaper, easier, and had greater uptake in certain studies.
‘Now, the European approach makes much more sense. It’s not only cheaper, but maybe equally effective.’”
Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
In 2019, the BMJ published clinical practice guidelines13 for colorectal cancer screening using a stool test — known as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) — a single colonoscopy or a single sigmoidoscopy. A sigmoidoscopy is similar to a colonoscopy but less extensive and less invasive. During a colonoscopy, your entire large intestine is examined, while a sigmoidoscopy only checks the lower part of your colon.
The practice guidelines recommend physicians use a tool to estimate an individual’s potential risk for developing colorectal cancer in the next 15 years. The team recommends that only those who have a risk of 3% or greater should undergo screening tests, choosing from one of four screening options.
This included a FIT done every year or a FIT done every two years depending on risk factors. Patients may also choose a single sigmoidoscopy or, the weakest recommendation from the team, a single colonoscopy.
However, the team determined that the risks associated with colorectal cancer screening outweighed the benefits in many cases. For instance, the risk of death from a colonoscopy from one source was 1 in 16,318 procedures evaluated.14
In the same analysis, the researchers also found 82 suffered serious complications. Another analysis found a death rate of 3 per 100,000 colonoscopies, along with serious adverse events in 44 per 10,000, “with a number needed to harm of 225.”15
Colonoscopies Carry Significant Risks
For any medical procedure, the benefits must outweigh the risks to the patient. But depending on your risk factors, it’s possible that colonoscopy could cause more harm than good. Aside from the risk of death, additional concerning risks include perforation and bleeding after removal of a precancerous polyp.
A systematic review and meta-analysis found the risk of perforation after colonoscopy was about 6 per 10,000 while the risk of bleeding was about 24 per 10,000 procedures.16 However, the risks can vary significantly depending on where the procedure is performed.
The risk of perforation at Baylor University Medical Center, according to one study, was 0.57 per 1,000 procedures or 1 in 1750 colonoscopies.17 In a report published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, it’s explained:18
“The frequency of complications is dependent on the skill of physicians doing the procedure, on safeguards that are in place within the laboratory where the procedure is carried out, and whether colonoscopy is done for screening or for diagnostic or therapeutic indications.
Major complications include adverse sedation or anesthetic events including aspiration pneumonia, post-polypectomy bleeding, diverticulitis, intraperitoneal hemorrhage, and colonic perforation.”
Another risk factor that varies from clinic to clinic has to do with how well the equipment is sterilized. David Lewis, Ph.D., and I discuss this in the short video above. One issue is the inability to thoroughly clean the inside of the scope.
One common issue is that, during the examination, the physician may be unable to see through the scope and is unsuccessful in the attempt to flush it using the air/water channel as it is clogged with human tissue from a past exam. The scope must be retracted and another one used. Since endoscopes have sensitive equipment attached, they cannot be heat sterilized.
Unfortunately, manufacturers have not been made to produce a scope with the ability to be heat sterilized. As Lewis points out in the video, “We can put a Rover on Mars, surely we can build a flexible endoscope that we can put in an autoclave.” These expensive tools are not disposable but require sterilization between each patient.
Lewis reports that up to 80% of hospitals are sterilizing the flexible endoscopes with glutaraldehyde (Cidex). On testing, he finds this has complicated the process as it does not dissolve tissue in the endoscope but rather preserves it.
When sharp biopsy tools are run through the tube, patient material from past testing is scraped off and potentially carried into your body. This is why it’s important to find a clinic or hospital that uses peracetic acid to thoroughly sterilize the equipment by dissolving proteins found in the flexible endoscopes. Before scheduling any endoscopic examination call to ask how the equipment is sterilized between patients.
Most Colorectal Cancer Cases Are Related to Diet
Aside from skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the U.S., as well as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.19 It’s wise to take steps to reduce your risk, and lifestyle changes can be quite effective. In fact, lifestyle factors, including dietary choices, play a major role in the occurrence and progression of colorectal cancer,20 with only an estimated 20% of cases caused by genetic factors with the remainder due to environmental factors.
Up to 70% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases are believed to be related to diet, leading researchers with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine to state:21
“As such, bioactive food components offer exciting possibilities for chemoprevention due to their potential to target many factors associated with the development and progression of CRC. Furthermore, the ability of bioactive food components to elicit tumoricidal effects without displaying the high toxicity exhibited by standard pharmacological interventions may translate to improved quality of life and survival in patients with cancer.”
For instance, emodin, which is found in Chinese rhubarb as well as in aloe vera, giant knotweed, the herb Polygonum multiflorum (tuber fleeceflower) and Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed), may help prevent colorectal disease due to impressive therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties.22
Fermented foods are also gaining recognition as an important dietary anticancer adjunct. The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods have been shown particularly effective for suppressing colon cancer. For example, butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid created when microbes ferment dietary fiber in your gut, has been shown to induce programmed cell death of colon cancer cells.23
Other strategies to help prevent colorectal cancer include eating more fiber, optimizing vitamin D, avoiding processed meat, maintaining a normal weight and controlling belly fat. In a larger sense, researchers have demonstrated that cancer is likely a metabolic disease controlled in part by dysfunctional mitochondria.
You can optimize your mitochondrial health through cyclical nutritional ketosis, calorie restriction, meal timing, exercise and normalizing your iron level. All of these lifestyle factors play a role in keeping your body healthy and disease-free.
Rejecting Rockefeller Germ Theory once and for all
by Jon Rappoport March 25, 2021
Note: In a number of articles, I’ve offered compelling evidence that the deaths attributed to COVID-19 can be explained without reference to a virus. Furthermore, whatever merits “alternative treatments” may have, I see no convincing evidence their action has anything to do with “neutralizing a virus.”
The entire tragic, criminal, murderous, stupid, farcical COVID fraud is based on a hundred years of Rockefeller medicine—a pharmaceutical tyranny in which the enduring headline is:
ONE DISEASE, ONE GERM.
That’s the motto engraved on the gate of the medical cartel.
—Thousands of so-called separate diseases, each caused by an individual germ.
“Kill each germ with a toxic drug, prevent each germ with a toxic vaccine.”
In the absence of those hundred years of false science and propaganda, COVID-19 promotion would have gone over like a bad joke. A few sour laughs, and then nothing, except people going on with their lives.
The overall health of an individual human being has to do with factors entirely unrelated to “one disease, one germ.”
As I quoted, for example, at the end of a recent article—
“The combined death rate from scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough and measles among children up to fifteen shows that nearly 90 percent of the total decline in mortality between 1860 and 1965 had occurred before the introduction of antibiotics and widespread immunization. In part, this recession may be attributed to improved housing and to a decrease in the virulence of micro-organisms, but by far the most important factor was a higher host-resistance due to better nutrition.” Ivan Illich, Medical Nemesis, Bantam Books, 1977
And Robert F Kennedy, Jr.: “After extensively studying a century of recorded data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins researchers concluded: ‘Thus vaccinations does not account for the impressive declines in mortality from infectious diseases seen in the first half of the twentieth century’.”
“Similarly, in 1977, Boston University epidemiologists (and husband and wife) John and Sonja McKinlay published their seminal work in the Millbank Memorial Fund Quarterly on the role that vaccines (and other medical interventions) played in the massive 74% decline in mortality seen in the twentieth century: ‘The Questionable Contribution of Medical Measures to the Decline of Mortality in the United States in the Twentieth Century’.”
“In this article, which was formerly required reading in U.S. medical schools, the McKinlays pointed out that 92.3% of the mortality rate decline happened between 1900 and 1950, before most vaccines existed, and that all medical measures, including antibiotics and surgeries, ‘appear to have contributed little to the overall decline in mortality in the United States since about 1900 — having in many instances been introduced several decades after a marked decline had already set in and having no detectable influence in most instances’.”
How the immune system (if it is a system) actually operates is beyond current medical hypotheses.
“T-cells, B-cells, neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer cells, proteins,” are welded into a breathless story about a military machine that attacks germ invaders. Push-pull. Search and destroy.
The notion that THIS is what creates health is fatuous.
Positive vitality is what keeps us healthy.
A few factors of positive vitality are on the tyrannical COVID list of what-should-be-squashed: financial survival; open mingling of friends and family; people looking (unmasked) at people; open communication without fear of censorship.
Nutrition and basic sanitation are key vitality factors, of course.
And then we have Purpose in Life: where are people pouring their creative energies?
Obviously, freedom from harmful medical treatment is necessary for vitality to flourish.
Suppression of LIFE, in order to stop a purported germ, is institutionalized death.
Modern medicine is sensationally exposed in a review I’ve mentioned dozens of time over the past 10 years: Authored by the late famous public health doctor at Johns Hopkins, Barbara Starfield, it is titled, “Is US Health Really the Best in the World?” It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 26, 2000.
It found that, every year in the US, the medical system kills 225,000 people.
Per decade, the death toll would come to 2.25 million people.
You won’t find that in CDC reports.
In 2009, I interviewed Dr. Starfield. I asked her whether the federal government had undertaken a major effort to remedy medically caused death in America, and whether she had been sought to consult with the government in such an effort.
The Facts:Dr. Asseem Malhotra, a well-known Doctor in Britain had some choice words to say in front of the European Parliment about modern-day medical education and overall knowledge doctors possess. He’s one of many who continues to emerge and speak out.
Reflect On:Why do doctors continue to learn nothing about nutrition? It seems they are trained to prescribe medicine and do not question what they are prescribing. They risk losing their jobs by speaking out and educating themselves.
Dr. Asseem Malhotra is known as one of the most influential cardiologists in Britain and a world-leading expert in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Currently, he is leading a huge campaign against excess sugar consumption. What also makes him unique is something he recently admitted took him decades to figure out: that our entire medical system, one of the main ‘protectors’ of the human race, is completely corrupt. He now believes that medical education is a state of “complete system failure,” causing “an epidemic of misinformed doctors.” He also stated that honest doctors can no longer practice honest medicine, and that there is also a growing epidemic of patients who are being harmed.
There is no denying that to some extent, medicine and doctors have done a lot of good and saved a lot of lives. However, an over-reliance on doctors for our health and well-being has spawned a serious problem, one that should be in the spotlight and immediately fixed.
The Need To Think For Ourselves
We all have to realize that society has been manufactured in a way where we simply give up our own mind to someone else, who has been given theirs by someone else. We lack the ability to think for ourselves because, from birth, we are programmed to think a certain way by somebody else.
This is something important for us to change, and by ‘us’ I not only mean patients; it should be a priority for all who practice medicine. And there are signs that it has started changing. Why? Because there is a shift in consciousness taking place. People within all societal systems (health, financial, education, government, etc.) are waking up, and starting to investigate what they have been taught. Rather than simply believing the promotional literature, more are pursuing self-education (which Dr. Malhotra stressed was the only real form of education).
Malhotra pointed out seven ‘sins’ that contribute to the lack of knowledge that not just doctors but everyone has, including patients, regarding modern day ‘medicine.’ He made these comments at a recent European Parliament meeting.
Other Prominent Doctors Speak Out
He’s not the only one to speak up about this issue. In fact, it seems that those who represent doctors have been speaking out about this for a long time. Dr. Marcia Angell, a physician and longtime Editor-in-Chief of the New England Medical Journal (NEMJ), considered one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, has said that,
“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.” (source)
Then there is Dr. Richard Horton, the current Editor-in-Chief of another prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal, TheLancet, who says,“The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue.” (source)
There are many examples of statements and documented evidence to choose from, which is why doctors like Malhotra are speaking out. You can watch his full talk below the tweet from November 21st, 2017.
(NaturalHealth365) Aluminum, which performs no identifiable function in the human body, is not a nutrient. Yet, most of us consume this neurotoxic substance – or inhale its fumes, or apply it to our skin – on a daily basis.
According to Analytical Research Labs, a whopping 80 percent of people tested have excessively high aluminum levels – a disturbing statistic, given that metal toxicities are associated with a wide range of chronic disease conditions.
We are living in the “age of aluminum”
Aluminum – the third most prevalent element on the planet – already exists naturally, in the environment – but, just to be clear – has ZERO benefit inside the human body. This cheaply-produced metal has literally dozens of commercial uses – leading concerned natural health experts and environmentalists to dub the present day the “age of aluminum.”
Sadly, aluminum is used in cookware, soda cans and packaging for processed foods – not to mention: aluminum foil. An ingredient in many over-the-counter antacids such as Rolaids, aluminum is also found in various cosmetics and hygiene products, particularly antiperspirants.
Disturbingly, exposure to aluminum begins almost immediately after birth – aluminum is used as an adjuvant in vaccines given to newborns. In fact, the number of aluminum-containing vaccines children receive has quadrupled over the past 40 years, with children typically receiving 17 aluminum-spiked injections in the first 18 months of life.
Finally, aluminum is used liberally in the foods we eat, including kitchen staples such as cocoa, salt, flour and baking powder. Aluminum is even found in municipal tap water – which is a very good reason why we should purify our drinking water as a top health priority.
What does all this aluminum do to us?
For one thing, it accumulates in the kidneys, brains, lungs, liver and thyroid, causing oxidative stress and attacking the central nervous system. According to Dr. Edward Group, aluminum competes with calcium for absorption, and can affect the mineralization of bone and slow growth in infants. It also creates inflammation in the brain, thereby contributing to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Aluminum toxicity has been linked with a staggering list of specific diseases, dysfunctions and conditions.
A recent study shows that aluminum exposure causes brain oxidation and inflammation – while increasing amounts of the beta-amyloid proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. The University School of Medicine in Belgrade reports that drinking water with a high aluminum concentration is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
But the damage doesn’t stop with Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum’s ability to inhibit the uptake of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine contributes to mood disorders, anxiety, insomnia and cognitive deficits.
And, aluminum is associated with anemia – an unsurprising finding, as aluminum has been shown to interfere with iron metabolism. It is also linked to other blood disorders, such as hemolysis, leukocytosis and porphyria, as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In addition, exposure to this unwanted substance can cause an increase in cavities, as it interferes with bone calcification and competes with fluoride.
And, finally, it is associated with kidney and liver dysfunction due to fatty degeneration.
How do I find out if I have aluminum toxicity?
Early symptoms of aluminum toxicity include headaches, depression, abnormal heartbeat, frequent colds, dry skin and heartburn, colic and other gastrointestinal problems. Later symptoms of toxicity can include paralytic muscular conditions, memory loss and confusion.
Integrative healthcare providers note that blood aluminum levels fail to reflect the total body burden, so accurately measuring aluminum toxicity can be tricky. If you think you have aluminum toxicity, it would be wise to undergo a hair tissue mineral analysis. This non-invasive test is considered the most reliable way to detect aluminum levels. However, look for a laboratory that doesn’t wash the hair before testing, as this can nullify results.
Note: if you are undergoing nutritional therapy for heavy metal toxicity, expect to see a rise in aluminum levels in the hair when it is re-tested – a result of aluminum and other metals being flushed from storage. It’s also extremely important that you ensure the safe elimination of toxins from the body to avoid harm.
Safe and natural detoxification is essential for optimal health
The first step in detoxifying is preventing additional exposure to aluminum. Avoid the use of aluminum cookware and cans, and carefully check the labels of health and beauty products – especially antacids. Be on the lookout for aluminum-free alternatives – for example, the” Tums” brand of antacid contains no aluminum.
You should also avoid processed foods – which are often packaged using aluminum – and opt for sea salt over table salt. As for drinking water – a water purification system is a MUST and/or drink spring water – from a trusted source.
Natural substances that can help you detoxify include high-dose vitamin C, chlorella and cilantro. Your healthcare provider may advise melatonin and 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan as well. Just make sure that your doctor understands the best ways to detoxify the body safely.
Garlic, onion and other sulfur-rich foods help to manufacture glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant and detoxifier. N-acetyl-cysteine also boosts glutathione levels, while binding to and detoxifying all heavy metals.
And don’t forget about curcumin, a flavonoid found in turmeric. This natural antioxidant has been shown to have a protective effect against aluminum-induced damage, modulating the extent of oxidative stress and combating the beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Although aluminum and aluminum compounds sometimes seem ever-present, it is possible to reduce or even reverse toxicity from aluminum and other unwanted metals, thereby preventing disease, protecting health and help to extend the quality of your life.
Did you know that over 80 percent of the garlic sold worldwide comes from China? In fact, a large amount of garlic we consume here in America is from China. The US imported 138 million pounds last year. Most consumers think that their garlic was grown in California, the “Garlic Capital of the World,” but in reality it was shipped from China. Even “organic” garlic is often from China, where organic certification methods can not be trusted.
Chinese garlic is bleached. According to Henry Bell of the Australian Garlic Industry Association, garlic from China is sprayed with chemicals to stop sprouting, to whiten garlic, and to kill insects and plant matter. He also reports that garlic is grown in untreated sewage, “Bell also calls into question some growing practices in China. “I know for a fact that some garlic growers over there use raw human sewage to fertilize their crops, and I don’t believe the Australian quarantine regulations are strict enough in terms of bacteria testing on imported produce,” he says. “I also challenge the effectiveness of the Chinese methyl bromide fumigation processes.” (http://www.theage.com.au/news/epicure/freshe…) .
Chinese garlic is heavily fumigated with methyl bromide to get rid of any bugs. Methyl bromide is a very toxic hazard. Exposure to high concentrations can cause damage to the respiratory and central nervous systems, even death. According to the UN it is 60 times more damaging than chlorine and is the base of CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons).
Chinese garlic is also contaminated with lead, sulfites and other unsafe compounds.
Chinese garlic may be treated with growth inhibitors and subjected to cold temperatures, as well as over-storage. Over storage is particularly problematic as levels of allicin, one of the major constituents in garlic responsible for its health benefits, start to decline over time.
Fortunately, you can easily spot the difference between California-grown fresh garlic and imported garlic.
Here’s how to spot a California-grown bulb:
American garlic has some of the roots left on the bottom.
Eating locally means eating what’s in season. This spring, consider adding some of the following superfoods, many of which you may never have heard of before: morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns, cherimoya, sorrel, stinging nettles, purslane and wild leeks
Most of these are only available for a short amount of time, and now’s the time to start looking for them
Morel mushrooms are packed with immune-boosting, disease-preventing vitamin D. Fiddleheads are picked from immature, uncoiled ostrich ferns, and have a flavor reminiscent of asparagus
Cherimoyas contain approximately 60 percent of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C and a third of your vitamin B6 needs, while nettles provide healthy amounts of vitamin K and calcium
One cup of sorrel provides more than your daily requirement of vitamins A and C, along with high amounts of potassium and iron; purslane is the omega-3 powerhouse of the plant kingdom
By Dr. Mercola
Eating locally grown foods comes with a bounty of benefits, from fresher foods to saving both money and the environment. One 2007 study from the University of Alberta, Canada, determined that the transportation alone of organic produce actually causes an environmental impact large enough to cancel out many of its benefits.1
If you look, you’ll find that most of the organic fruit and vegetables in your local grocery store come from much farther away than your conventional produce. Fresh produce in most regions of the U.S. actually travel between 1,500 to 2,000 miles on the road. That’s even higher than processed foods, which are shipped an average of 1,346 miles.2 Eating locally grown foods helps eliminate a substantial amount of the carbon footprint associated with food transportation.
Eating locally automatically means eating what’s in season. This spring, consider adding some of the following superfoods,3 many of which you may never have heard of before. Most of these are only available for a short amount of time, and now’s the time to start looking for them.
No. 1: Morel Mushrooms
Morel mushrooms, the tops of which resemble small shower loofahs, are packed with immune-boosting, disease-preventing vitamin D. Its taste has been described as umami, or savory. Rarely cultivated, morel mushrooms are typically wild-harvested and picking the mushrooms is a popular tradition for many.
That said, avoid picking mushrooms in the wild unless you are absolutely sure you know what you’re picking. There are a number of toxic mushrooms, including a species called “false morels,” and it’s easy to get them confused unless you have a lot of experience and know what to look for.
As noted in a recent study,4 “Morels have been in use in traditional medicine for centuries, due to their health-related benefits, and current research demonstrated their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory bioactivities, in addition to immunostimulatory and antitumor properties.”
Most of the health benefits have been attributed to polysaccharides, along with a number of phytochemicals, primarily phenolic compounds, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and vitamin D. Morel mushrooms are an excellent addition cooked with any side dish and go great with all kinds of meat and fish. Many people enjoy eating them as a side dish on their own, gently sautéed for five to 10 minutes with a pat of butter. Never eat morel mushrooms raw, as they contain trace amounts of a toxin that make some people ill.
No. 2: Fiddlehead Ferns
Chances are you’ve never heard of fiddlehead ferns5,6 unless you’re a frequent visitor of farmers markets and specialty health food stores. As the name implies, the small curly discs are picked from immature, uncoiled ostrich ferns. The taste has been likened to that of asparagus, but with bit more crunch and bitterness. Others say they taste like a mix of asparagus, spinach and broccoli all in one.
High in antioxidants (twice the amount of blueberries) and plant-based omega-3, fiddlehead ferns are a potent anti-inflammatory food.7 They also contain vitamins A and C, both of which are important for healthy vision and immune function. Iron and phosphorous aid red blood cell production and are important for healthy formation of cell membranes and bone, while potassium supports heart health and electrolyte and muscle functions.
Fiddleheads are commonly picked in Maine and Canada, but can often be found in health food stores. Their season is quite brief — two to three weeks at the most. To ensure quality, look for specimens that have tightly coiled heads with stems about 2 inches in length. If picking your own, make sure you know how to identify ostrich ferns, as they are commonly confused with bracken fern — a species known to cause cancer in lab animals.
Also, fiddleheads may cause gastrointestinal upset when consumed raw, so light cooking, just as you would asparagus, is recommended. They can also be pickled for longer shelf life. For instructions, see this spicy pickled fiddleheads’ recipe by The Spruce.8
The following video will help you properly identify edible fiddleheads from the ostrich fern. Consider adding them to dishes that normally call for asparagus. Many recipes suggest eating them steamed or boiled with hollandaise sauce, cooked then chilled and topped with plain mayo, or lightly sautéed and tossed with some butter, lemon, vinegar and Parmesan cheese.
No. 3: Cherimoya
This heart-shaped “dragon-scaled” tropical fruit has a sweet, buttery inside. Select specimens that are hard and green. As avocados, cherimoyas ripen quickly on the counter. Once the skin turns a bronze color and feels soft to the touch, it’s ready to eat. Simply peel and slice. Their flavor has been likened to a combination of banana, papaya and pineapple. Pureed, they can also be added to smoothies.
A single fruit contains approximately 60 percent of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C and a third of your vitamin B6 needs. In Mexico, the fruit has traditionally been used to ease anxiety, thanks to the presence of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which has mild antidepressive effects.
It’s also high in fiber, iron and niacin, and contain powerful compounds shown to combat cancer, malaria and human parasites. Cherimoya provides high amounts of potassium that help control heart rate and blood pressure. Furthermore, it contains more minerals weight per weight than a lot of more common fruits, including apples.
No. 4: Sorrel
Sorrel, also known as spinach dock or narrow-leaved dock, is a perennial leafy herb cultivated around the world. Packed with health benefits and a tangy, lemony flavor, it adds a bit of zing to just about any salad or dish, including creamy soups.
One cup of sorrel provides more than your daily requirement of vitamins A and C, along with high amounts of potassium and iron. Keep in mind that sorrel contains oxalic acid, which is contraindicated for those struggling with or prone to oxalate kidney stones. For most people, small quantities are completely safe and provide valuable health benefits. According to Organic Facts:9
“The health benefits of sorrel include its ability to improve eyesight, slow the aging process, reduce skin infections, strengthen the immune system, and improve digestion. It also builds strong bones, increases circulation, increases energy levels, helps prevent cancer, lowers blood pressure, increases appetite, protects against diabetes, strengthens heart health and improves kidney health.”
No. 5: Stinging Nettles
While typically considered a pesky and painful weed, stinging nettles10 have unique health benefits. (On a side note, should you have them growing in your yard, they’re actually a sign of rich, healthy soil.) Just make sure you use gloves during handling until they’ve been cooked, to avoid a painful rash.
Once blanched or sautéed, they can be safely consumed, providing healthy amounts of vitamin K and calcium. Traditionally, nettles have been valued for its blood purifying properties, and can also be made into tea, said to ease congestion and soothe allergies and asthma.
Nettle tea may also boost milk production if you’re nursing, and helps stimulate your digestive glands, including your intestines, liver, pancreas and gallbladder. To learn more about the health benefits of stinging nettles and the various ways you can use it (including instructions for making nettle tea), see “Nettle: The Stinging Weed That Can Help You Detoxify.”
No. 6: Purslane
Purslane11 (also called duckweed, fatweed, pigweed, pusley, verdolaga, ma chi xian in Chinese, munyeroo or wild portulaca), is the omega-3 powerhouse of the vegetation kingdom, and there’s a high probability it’s growing in your yard right now. According to Mother Earth News, it’s the most reported weed species in the world.12
Purslane looks very much like a miniature jade plant, with fleshy succulent leaves and reddish stems. The stems grow flat to the ground and radiate outward from a single taproot, sometimes forming large, flat circular mats up to 16 inches across. In about mid-July, it develops tiny yellow flowers about one-quarter inch in diameter.
Seeds of purslane are extremely tough, some remaining viable in the soil for 40 years, and it can grow in almost anything, from fertile garden loam to the most arid desert soil — even in your rock driveway. Just be very careful not to confuse purslane with spurge, because they can look similar, and spurge will make you sick. The following video shows how to tell them apart.
Purslane has a stellar omega-3 fatty acid profile, compared to other vegetables, containing anywhere from 300 to 400 milligrams (mg) of omega-3 per cup. It also contains six times more vitamin E than spinach, seven times more beta carotene than carrots, providing about 44 percent of your daily vitamin A needs per 100 grams,13 25 mg of vitamin C per cup, plus magnesium, calcium, iron, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorous and manganese.
Purslane can be eaten either raw or cooked. If you’re planning on eating raw purslane, make sure no pesticides or herbicides have been used nearby. If you’ve been spraying Roundup in your yard, never eat weeds collected from the area. Also avoid them if your neighbor has used Roundup in their yard, as the chemicals can easily drift across property lines.
As a precaution, wash the leaves and stems thoroughly before consuming. Typically, people eat the young purslane leaves and stems to avoid the tougher parts of the plant. For cooked purslane, there are numerous ways to incorporate this herb in your favorite dishes. You can boil it in water for 10 minutes and drain, or simply add it to other recipes to give the dish an added crunch.
No. 7: Ramps
Ramps is a type of wild leek, featuring small white bulbs with hairy roots. While resembling green onions in appearance, their flavor is more akin to garlic. If you’re lucky enough to find them, be sure to get some. Ramps are exceedingly scarce as they’re a slow grower, and are only in season for a few weeks in spring.
Look for specimens that are firm, with bright green leaves. Don’t buy or use them if you notice brown spots or slimy areas. Unwashed and wrapped in a plastic bag, ramps can be refrigerated for up to a week. Ramps are a good source of vitamins A and C, selenium and chromium, the latter of which helps stabilize blood sugar. As for how to use them in your cooking, Organic Authority suggests:14
“[U]se ramps as you would scallions, green onions or leeks. Anything that would pair well with garlic or leeks will love the ramp. Slice them thinly and use sparingly, and also handle them gently, adding them at the end of the cooking process. Think simple to allow ramps to shine: Scrambled into eggs, garnished alongside seafood, mixed into big bowls of pasta, or oven roasted or grilled to perfection.”
How to Find Locally-Grown Food That Is in Season
When you eat locally grown foods, the contents of your shopping bag inevitably change with each passing season. In other words, adjusting what you eat to what’s in season becomes an inescapable fact if you’re going to eat locally-grown foods, and if you keep this in mind, it can become a pleasurable part of your culinary experimentation. Here are some tips for tracking down locally-grown foods that are in season:
If you’re lucky enough to have a local farmers market, that’s the way to go. For a listing of national farmers markets and local food directories, see the USDA’s website. Another great resource is www.localharvest.org.
Another good route for finding local food is to subscribe to a community supported agriculture program (CSA). Some are seasonal while others offer year-round programs. Once you subscribe, many will drop affordable, high quality locally-grown produce right at your door step. For a comprehensive list of CSA’s and a host of other sustainable agriculture programs, check out my Sustainable Agriculture page.
Local farmers are perhaps your best source for seasonal produce. You can search for local farms on www.localharvest.org.
Shop at your local natural food store or health co-op, as many of them get their produce from local farmers.
If everything else fails, shop at your locally owned grocers rather than large chain supermarkets. Many small private grocers also supply produce from local sources.
Eight Signs of High-Quality Food
Last but not least, here are some general tips on what to look for when trying to determine the healthiest foods possible, no matter where you shop. You’ll want to look for foods that are:
Grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some nonorganic foods). If harvesting edible weeds or plants from your garden, make sure no pesticides or herbicides have been applied in the area
Contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics or other drugs
Does not contain artificial anything, nor any preservatives
Fresh (if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh conventional produce, the latter may be the better option)
Did not come from a factory farm
Grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors)
Grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants)
Food for thought might just have a whole new meaning to it and in a more literal sense. We all hold a widely held conception that fish helps our brains develop and this study shows exactly that, but there might be a new super brain food on the block that could help your brain work better and it is readily accessible everywhere. Pickles.
However, not all pickles can have such a positive impact on the brain. A study done by the college of William and Mary in Virginia revealed that naturally fermented foods such as dilled pickles can provide you with a huge boost of serotonin which is a chemical responsible for managing our moods.
For people who have had an experience with depression or anxiety disorder, pickles could be just the thing to boost serotonin levels in your body like what most pharmaceutical antidepressants aim to do.
Gut and Anxiety
According to Dr Michael Gershon, author of The Second Brain, the gut is actually somewhat like our body’s second brain having as many neurotransmitters as the brain! However, unlike our brain that controls what we feel and how we make decisions, the gut makes decisions from swallowing, digesting to nutrient absorption and elimination.
What’s also fascinating about our gut is that it communicates with our main brain with very profound results as researchers are finding more evidence that problems in the gastrointestinal system send signals to our brain triggering a bout of mood changes which explains why people with bowel disorders suffer from depression and anxiety much easier.
Pickles And Euphoria
The GABA neurotransmitter is a bunch of neurons in our brain that controls motor movements, vision and they also regulate anxiety. And by putting a pickle into your mouth, it actually does a lot to your gut as well as your brain. Fermented foods such as dilled pickles have healthy bacteria in them called probiotics and there is much research done on the relationship between anxiety disorders and probiotics.
In one research done by the University of College Cork, Ireland, rats were used to study the potential benefits of introducing probiotics into their systems during a stressful situation such as maternal separation. Researchers studied that probiotic treatment is able to regulate their behavior and their abnormal immune response. Results like this fully support the hypothesis that probiotics have the potential to change our moods as well as strengthening our immune systems.
Researchers studied that probiotic treatment is able to regulate their behavior and their abnormal immune response. Results like this fully support the hypothesis that probiotics have the potential to change our moods as well as strengthening our immune systems.
To further prove the point that pickles actually does make people less stressed out, a study done by Maryland University studied the dietary habits of 700 students and found out that people who had fermented products in their diets suffered less social anxiety.
Top 7 diseases, disorders, and syndromes brought on and EXACERBATED by GMOs, antibiotics, and a slew of toxic vaccinations
Tuesday, July 12, 2016 by: S. D. Wells
(NaturalNews) The majority of diseases and disorders that exist in the world today are either of the contagious, infectious kind or the type that are brought on by consuming carcinogens and neurotoxins. Regarding the latter and the term “consuming,” we are describing anything toxic in food, beverages, vaccines, or personal care products that find their way into the bloodstream, and thus affect the heart, brain, organs, cells, and central nervous system.
It is also very important to note that infectious diseases are often prevented from being spread and/or beaten down by a normal, functioning immune system, and again, a system that is not heavily burdened by noxious chemicals that are “consumed.” Moreover, most humans are NOT born with autism, or cancer, or irritable bowels, or central nervous system (CNS) disorders, or malfunctioning cleansing organs. Yet many MDs label health problems as “genetic” (which they are), even though they are NOT inherited. There is a difference.
It has been proven time and time again that the majority of today’s diseases and disorders are not only preventable, but curable with a plant-based diet and by filtering common chemicals from our daily intake.
So, then, where do we start? Good question. The onslaught of toxins in American food is relentless. It includes very dangerous chemical-based pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, algaecides, and even fertilizers that make the food toxic, from beginning to end–meaning from seed, stem, and leaf to fruit and vegetable, and finally onto the breakfast, lunch and dinner tables. Even most baby food and infant formula sold in America is toxic. Remember, nothing kills good gut bacteria and natural immunity faster than consuming chemical-based pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate.
Then there’s the water. More than 80% of all municipal taps in America are infested with sodium fluoride, another noxious chemical derived as a by-product of China’s immense chemical industrial complex and exported to America for dripping into the taps, all while being touted as “good for your teeth” – an insidious LIE purported by propaganda ever since WWII.
Speaking of the second world war, that’s when American medicine took a sharp turn for the worse. Nazi scientists were hired to manufacture chemicals to be used as food additives (that cause allergies), food preservatives (that warp and kill brain cells), pharmaceuticals (that don’t help anything), vaccine adjuvants (carriers and preservatives that destroy immunity and disrupt the CNS), and chemotherapy (that makes cancer tumors recede, only to come back with a vengeance).
Lastly, there’s the most popular prescription of all times, that MDs dish out like candy at the front doors on Halloween–and that’s antibiotics. Not only are antibiotics killers of good bacteria and immunity in general, but they are prescribed across the board for viral infections that have symptoms of bacterial infections, because at first, most doctors can’t even tell the difference. Plus, as you probably do NOT know, there are antibiotics in many vaccines. Oh yes, there are! They’re used during production to prevent the growth of bacteria during storage of the vaccine. Oops.
So, the first and last line of defense against all of this mayhem is to STOP consuming chemicals. This requires a strict regimen of organic (or clean locally grown) food, filtered water (or natural spring water), and clean, natural medicine (never cooked up or altered in a laboratory).
Dissipate, dissolve, and disappear your health problems by ending chemical consumption
Remember, the majority of diseases, disorders, and syndromes popular today in America are all brought on and EXACERBATED by GMOs, antibiotics, and a slew of toxic vaccinations. Here are the top 7 aggravators and instigators of health problems for the masses:
#1. Asperger’s Syndrome: Biomarkers of abnormal immune function are associated with behavior impairments–core features of Asperger syndrome, a disorder considered on the “high functioning” end of the autism spectrum, but still exhibiting restricted range of interests and usually repetitive behaviors. Flu shots are a major cause of Asperger’s due to the high mercury content (50,000 parts per million).
#2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Stems mainly from the destruction of good gut bacteria and annihilation of enzymes by pesticides and vaccines.
#3. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Science and gene replacement studies in mice point right at synaptic dysfunction as a cause of autism spectrum disorder, specifically synaptic pathways–those associated with cell adhesion. There is strong evidence ASD arises early in development, but AFTER birth, hence the name autism spectrum “development” disorder. Many parents first become aware of autistic symptoms immediately following routine combination vaccinations with flu shots.
#4. Cancer: hardly any forms of cancer are contagious or inherited. Most cancer forms after birth and those cells multiply when fed chemicals. Period. Stop consuming chemicals and the cancer cells are destroyed by healthy cells. Look into natural remedies like turmeric, cannabis, garlic, aloe, and hemp seed oil.
#5. Auto-immune Disorder: vaccines are injected into muscle tissue, conjuring unnatural, hyper-immune responses in babies which leads directly to the immune system attacking itself.
#6. Anxiety, Depression, and Central Nervous System Disorders: Continuous chemical consumption can contribute to or worsen these conditions.
#7. Alzheimer’s, Strokes, and Dementia: the three major causes of dementia and strokes are coagulating saturated fat in the blood, aluminum in the blood, and lack of oxygen to the brain. Aluminum is commonly found in antacids, vaccines and flu shots.
To suffer most chronic health problems, you not only have to consume chemicals, but you have to continually consume chemicals. There’s a cumulative effect that no MDs or oncologists EVER talk about, and that’s how they stay in business and make so much damn money. End the onslaught of chemical consumption and watch your health issues dissipate, dissolve, and disappear. Remember, the top 7 diseases, disorders, and syndromes are all brought on and EXACERBATED by GMOs, antibiotics, and a slew of toxic vaccinations, including flu shots. Get smart. Eat clean and research natural medicine. The rewards are endless!
(NaturalHealth365) Aluminum, which performs no identifiable function in the human body, is not a nutrient. Yet, most of us consume this neurotoxic substance – or inhale its fumes, or apply it to our skin – on a daily basis.
