Hello all,
This post is about the topic of genetically modified foods which I have very little knowledge of, but am learning more about. The reason why I am writing it is to make you aware of what is going on and how this affects us all. There are two things which are cause for concern.
1) Scientists have become aware that gene expression is a dynamic and variable thing and that it can change in response to environmental factors.
2) The basis for genetically modified foods is "ownership" of seed crops by large Agri-Business concerns like Monsanto.
Ok, let me explain this in more simple terms. First the gene expression thing.
Scientists used to think that genes were a form of biological "hard wiring" so to speak, and that genes in some static sense caused certain things to happen irrespective of other factors. Now they have come to understand that the way your genes interact with things in your environment can actually change gene expression in a way they never thought possible before.
This is both good and bad. It's good in the sense that it means that our genes are not our destiny, at least not entirely. We have a lot of control over our lives despite having genetic tendencies toward things like heart disease, cancer, ect. The bad news is that various things in our environment like toxins, certain foods, viruses, and bacteria, can alter gene expression in our bodies to a much larger degree than we were previously aware.
We now know that the genes added to foods to produce GMO or genetically modified organisms can have many unanticipated consequences. They can in response to environment factors like heat, cold, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, ect. be altered in their expression in ways which we cannot possibly know. Chemical companies like Monsanto are putting genes in seeds that come from other organisms. This is the genetic equivalent of playing with fire! These genetically modified foods have not been tested for safety, because it is assumed the genes inplanted in them pose no threat to human health.
This amounts to the one of the boldest genetic experiments in human history with absolutely no assurance that the consequences are even predictable let alone safe. Why is this being done? The answer is money! Companies like Monsanto want to "own food," so that every farmer who wants to plant crops will have to buy their patented seed! They are even developing seeds that will grow into crops which cannot be replanted. Every time a farmer wants to replant these GMO crops, he would have to buy seed from the company. The seeds cannot be reused as they have been for countless generations throughout human history.
Corporations like Monsanto want the entire human race to have to go to them "hat in hand" to be able to produce food to feed humanity. They want control over the worlds food supply, and they are doing it with genetically modified crops which they can legally claim to "own" the rights to via their GMO "patents." This development should be of concern to everyone who cares about the world that their children and grandchildren will inherit and live in.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally
Hello again,
I have just put up a 2 part web page on the subject of high blood pressure. On this page I mention that the "new" revised standards now consider that 120/80 which used to be the standard of normal healthy blood pressure is now considered the beginning of high blood pressure or "hypertension" as it is also called.
How to Detect and Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Interestingly,there is evidence that these new "revised" standards were influenced by the pharmaceutical industry which of course would gain many new customers if the threshold for medicating patients has effectively been lowered.
Now understand that I am not suggesting that people should never be medicated for this condition. There are times when the best course of action in the short term is medication, when the purpose is to immediately address a blood pressure level that is dangerously high and could result in a stroke.
However, common sense suggests that this should only be a temporary or short term solution, and that the goal should be to make the diet and lifestyle changes that will bring blood pressure back down into the normal range, so that the medication can be safely withdrawn and normal pressure maintained..well....NORMALLY!
I have just put up a 2 part web page on the subject of high blood pressure. On this page I mention that the "new" revised standards now consider that 120/80 which used to be the standard of normal healthy blood pressure is now considered the beginning of high blood pressure or "hypertension" as it is also called.
How to Detect and Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Interestingly,there is evidence that these new "revised" standards were influenced by the pharmaceutical industry which of course would gain many new customers if the threshold for medicating patients has effectively been lowered.
Now understand that I am not suggesting that people should never be medicated for this condition. There are times when the best course of action in the short term is medication, when the purpose is to immediately address a blood pressure level that is dangerously high and could result in a stroke.
However, common sense suggests that this should only be a temporary or short term solution, and that the goal should be to make the diet and lifestyle changes that will bring blood pressure back down into the normal range, so that the medication can be safely withdrawn and normal pressure maintained..well....NORMALLY!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
African Americans and the Benefits of Vitamin-D
This is probably one of the most important posts I will write! It
concerns an issue that few people are aware of and particularly people
of African ancestry. Plainly stated people with dark skin who live in
temperate climates are at risk for vitamin-D deficiency!
This makes logical sense because darkly pigmented skin filters out more of the sun's ultraviolet light. Thus dark skinned people who are living in areas that do not get a lot of sun exposure and have long winters, are at increased risk of a deficiency of vitamin-D, which your body needs plenty of sunlight to bio-synthesize.
Check out my page on the benefits of vitamin-d
I found this interesting when I first read it, and then decided to do some investigating. I did a google search on diseases and health conditions that disproportionately affect people of African heritage. What I found was that many of those diseases had something to do with a lack of vitamin-D.
Diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, are among the diseases that seem to strike black people more than Caucasians. Interestingly, all of these diseases have some connection with vitamin-D deficiency!
SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder also seems to strike African Americans disproportionately. Check out my new page on Seasonal Affective Disorder
Since vitamin-D is not a drug and cannot be patented, the medical establishment shows no interest in recommending increased levels of vitamin-D supplementation for black Americans. So if you are of African extraction, and you do not live close to the equator, then you need to ensure that you and your family are getting adequate amounts of vitamin-D daily.
concerns an issue that few people are aware of and particularly people
of African ancestry. Plainly stated people with dark skin who live in
temperate climates are at risk for vitamin-D deficiency!
This makes logical sense because darkly pigmented skin filters out more of the sun's ultraviolet light. Thus dark skinned people who are living in areas that do not get a lot of sun exposure and have long winters, are at increased risk of a deficiency of vitamin-D, which your body needs plenty of sunlight to bio-synthesize.
Check out my page on the benefits of vitamin-d
I found this interesting when I first read it, and then decided to do some investigating. I did a google search on diseases and health conditions that disproportionately affect people of African heritage. What I found was that many of those diseases had something to do with a lack of vitamin-D.
Diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, are among the diseases that seem to strike black people more than Caucasians. Interestingly, all of these diseases have some connection with vitamin-D deficiency!
SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder also seems to strike African Americans disproportionately. Check out my new page on Seasonal Affective Disorder
Since vitamin-D is not a drug and cannot be patented, the medical establishment shows no interest in recommending increased levels of vitamin-D supplementation for black Americans. So if you are of African extraction, and you do not live close to the equator, then you need to ensure that you and your family are getting adequate amounts of vitamin-D daily.
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