Pink ribbon products… and GMOs

From Raine Saunders, at Agriculture Society:

“Before the clock runs out on this month’s breast cancer and GMO awareness, I’d like to point out some facts that may not be obvious to some consumers.

No doubt you’ve seen the pink ribbons all over food labels in the grocery store or on fast food products like KFC.  These labels are easy to spot on packages, cups, cans, boxes, and other containers of many foods and beverages.

But there’s something else to notice too – a majority of these foods bearing the pink ribbon for cancer awareness are full of harmful, toxic ingredients. Don’t believe me? Just pick up one of these food products and have a look.

Health blogger under fire in N. Carolina

From Raine Saunders on Agriculture Society:

“Today I’m expressing my opposition to what’s going on in the State of North Carolina. A blogger named Steve Cooksey of Diabetes Warrior maintains a chronicle of his health journey, detailing how how he’s managed his disease.

The North Carolina State Board of Dietetics (members of the American Dietetics Association) has formally objected to his blogging activities, and he is now facing 120 days jail time. For what, you may ask. Writing about how he is healing himself without drugs and conventional approaches to his diagnosis of Diabetes.

When he was originally diagnosed, he was recommended to take insulin and consume the Standard American Diet of government recommendations, including My Plate (formerly the Food Pyramid) and a regimen of pharmaceutical drugs. Since then, he has been in the process of reversing his condition by not taking conventional advice.

Behind the plague of eating disorders

From Raine Saunders, on Agriculture Society:

Photo via Agriculture Society blog.

“Most people know someone with an eating disorder. In the 1980s we saw an enormous surge of teenage girls described as having bulimia (binging and purging) and anorexia nervosa (starving oneself to death) in order to keep from being overweight.

But, eating disorders are much more common than people think. Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride talks about these issues in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, and describes them as being much more than psychological issues (as have been diagnosed and named by the branch of medicine known as psychiatrics) but nutritional deficiencies which affect overall health, including the mental state of the individual.

“1 in 4 meat packages are tainted with pathogenic bacteria” — Raine Saunders

From Raine Saunders at the Agriculture Society blog:

“Tainted meat is available everywhere…grocery stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, prisons…you name it. And it’s all over the news this week and last week – NY Times, NPR,Food Safety News, Sauk Valley News, The News Tribune,Daily Finance,  Bellingham Herald, and many others. And you know when mainstream news outlets start reporting news items like this, the problem is an epidemic.

This is not a new problem. In 2008, the largest meat recall in history (to that date) was issued, as reported by many different outlets – again, so it’s not like people weren’t made aware of this issue.

Other nationwide meat recalls were issued in 2010 such as the one from Rudolph Foods Company, Inc. in California (205 pounds in January),  Huntington Meat Packing Inc. in California (4.9 million pounds in February),  Zemco Industries in New York (380,000 pounds in August), and there were many, many more.

Big organic companies give approval for Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa — WTF?

From Raine Saunders at Agriculture Society:

“I’d say this is the straw that broke the camel’s back…but I dare not, because I know this is only the beginning. Whole Foods, leader of natural grocery stores nationwide, and other industry leaders in “organic” foods Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farm relented under mounting pressure from all angles Thursday, and gave their approval for the USDA to use genetically-modified alfalfa seed in crops – proving once again that in this world, commodity-driven, profits-based monopoly models are what drive all decisions made in political and legal realms.

And sold the future of real organics and sustainability down the river.

Efficacy and safety of flu vaccines

From Raine Saunders at Agriculture Society:

Picture via Agriculture Society

“It’s flu and cold season. Do you normally receive a flu vaccine?

If so, you should know there are some risks to getting the injection that might outweigh not getting it, especially if you live a healthy life style that includes consumption of real, whole, traditional foods. A healthy lifestyle supports your immune system, which is the key to avoiding flus, colds, and other illness and disease.

Most doctor’s offices and now other places such as drug stores are offering the flu vaccine on a seasonal basis. Flu shots are so ubiquitous, you can walk into almost any of the following locations to receive one: Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy, Albertson’s/Savon, WalMart, Kroger’s, Meijer, and Publix.

Just like other vaccines, a dead version of the virus is contained within the shot you receive. Inside your body, the vaccine’s main purpose is to stimulate immune system function into reacting as though it has been attacked by the flu virus. Theoretically, this will trigger a production of antibodies that will destroy the real virus when your body is exposed to it.

It is never too late to live your dream

Cathy Payne, writing for Raine Saunders’ Agriculture Society blog:

Neo-American Gothic -- Cathy Payne and her husband Jon. Photo via Agriculture Society

Gail Sheehy, in New Passages, writes that “Each of us tells our own personal life story to ourselves, every day.” I believe that our thoughts and words create our lives in powerful ways. I agree, with Sheehy, that we “create our own plot line.” And itʼs never to late to revise and rewrite it! As a woman who has lived 57 years and rewritten the script a few times, I can speak with a bit of authority.

One year ago, in October, 2009, I was a stressed-out suburban teacher living in a beautiful 5 bedroom, 4 bath house on a cul-de-sac. Why stressed? As a support teacher I worked with the students who were “challenging.” They were diagnosed with autism, behavior disorders, ADHD, asthma, encupresis (look it up), learning disabilities, and more. In meetings I heard mothers testify that their child was perfectly normal until they got a certain round of vaccines. I also heard tales of asthma, hives, skin allergies.

Stop GMOs in our food supply

Raine Saunders, from her “Agriculture Society” blog:

“October is Non-GMO Month.

Genetically-modified substances and organisms are becoming more and more pervasive in our food supply in the United States.

Raine Saunders on why “local” is not necessarily good enough

Here’s a fascinating little story from Raine Saunders, who writes on the Agriculture Society blog:

Picture via Agriculture Society blog.

I’ve already written about food recalls a number of times, but the point about finding sustainable food is one that I find must be revisited often…because there are so many misconceptions going around about why simply avoiding one brand over another is not enough.

And I’ll also tell you why it’s really important to know your farmer and what practices he or she uses to raise the chickens that lay the eggs you are going to eat.

Raine Saunders on Vaccination, part 1

Raine Saunders of the Agriculture Society blog is embarking on a multi-part series on the subject of vaccination. Here’s an excerpt from part 1:

“Have you ever wondered what ways there might be to reduce the chances of or prevent our children from developing health disorders like autism, ADHD, ADD, hormonal and nervous system disruptions, digestive and immune dysfunction?