Forum Post: Public Health by Mercola

Update 2/23/2013 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/17.aspx Biotech GMO Industry Ups Propaganda Efforts with Undercover Agents The biotech industry, led by Monsanto, is increasing their propaganda efforts to reshape their public image, and sway your opinion against the need to label genetically engineered (junk) foods Part of this makeover program appears to be the recruitment of seemingly independent “ambassadors” to covertly lobby the GE agenda. The appearance of being an independent voice is imperative for the role to be effective One such “covert” agent appears to be Mark Lynas, an environmentalist and writer, who claims to have “converted” to a pro-GE stance after he “discovered science.” His claims of being a mastermind of the anti-GE movement before he changed his mind has been vehemently rebuffed by veterans in the movement, who don’t recall him being involved in any meaningful way The fight for GMO labeling has now moved to the state of Washington, where the people's initiative 522, "The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," will require food sold in retail outlets to be labeled if it contains genetically engineered ingredients

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/19.aspx Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Threatens First Amendment Rights and Attempts to Censor Paleo Blogger An attorney of the Alliance for Natural Health discusses how organizations such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), formerly known as American Dietetic Association (ADA), are threatening your freedom of choice about your health and nutrition The North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition launched an attack on a blog featuring nutritional principles of the Paleo Diet, accusing the blogger of providing nutritional counseling without a license; in response, he filed a lawsuit against the board for violating his first amendment rights The AND seeks to monopolize the market by “eliminating the competition,” using volunteers to quietly pass state legislation that silences anyone daring to go against their nutritional recommendations, which are largely designed to support the junk food and pharmaceutical industries FDA works in collusion with AND to limit your access to truthful health information, and the most recent target has been the nutritional supplement industry Congressman Chaffetz has introduced H.R. 1364, the Free Speech About Science Act (FSAS), a bill that would alter FDA regulations to enable supplement companies to cite peer reviewed science, making it easier for you to gain access to information important to your health

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/20.aspx U.N. Launches Drone Investigation Into Legality Of U.S. Program The “military industrial complex” has become the military industrial government. Other industries seem to have taken over our healthcare, banking, food and agriculture at the federal level as well Attacks on your civil liberties will likely eventually affect your right to choose what foods you want to buy, the supplements you want to take, and the healing modalities you want to pursue to stay healthy The FTC recently circumvented current law and made new ones, squashing free speech in the process, when it ruled that POM Wonderful had made disease claims on its product, and that “a double-blind random-controlled trial (RCT) is required for any “efficacy” claim, and two double blind RCTs for any claim that might seem to be related to a disease”. Double-blind RCT’s required for making disease claims is actually an FDA labeling standard for drugs—not food. It’s not for the FTC to demand a product provide such evidence If the FTC prevails in requiring double-blind RCTs, only pharmaceutical companies will be able to make health claims on their patented and FDA-approved products A new bill called the Free Speech about Science Act (FSAS) has been introduced, which would allow natural product companies to cite peer-reviewed science in their advertising. Please take action to support this bill

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/21.aspx Walmart’s Big Push into Groceries is Not Good for Small Farmers Groceries now make up more than half of Walmart’s retail sales, and the company claims it has saved customers over $1 billion while helping farmers in the process However, Walmart is uniquely positioned to actually cut small farmers’ profits, by virtue of their sheer size and market power, and may ultimately be driving food prices up The vast majority of food sold at Walmart comes from industrial farms or is imported from China; sourcing your foods directly from a local farmer, instead of from Walmart, is one of your best bets to ensure you're getting food that is wholesome and that is grown in a sustainable fashion

February 23, 2013 - Issue 2380 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/23.aspx Documentary: Sustainable Table: What's On Your Plate? This documentary film takes a revealing look at the war modern-day agriculture is waging against the planet In conventional farming, nature is often considered the enemy – one that must be dealt with using a controlled system of chemicals, irrigation systems, GMOs, fertilizers and other artificial additions to the soil Conventional agriculture’s overexploitation, pollution and other environmental insults made largely over the last half century have resulted in massive ecological degradation; 60 percent of the planet’s ecosystems are now no longer capable of sustaining themselves without human intervention Sustainable agriculture systems, including small organic farms that work with the laws of nature instead of against them, are out there; you can access them by frequenting farmer’s markets, community-supported agriculture programs or by visiting the farm directly You vote three times a day when you choose the foods for your meals. Will you vote for the system that is systematically destroying your health, animal welfare and the planet … or will you support those who are changing the world for the better, one meal at a time?

Update 2/19/2013 http://nhc.lefora.com/2013/02/04/1-55/ February 16, 2013 - Issue 2373 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/newsletter-archive/2013/02/16.aspx Fluoridegate—Why is Poisoning of Children Considered a Valuable Public Health Policy? Fluoride is a toxic substance that is biologically active in the human body where it accumulates in sensitive tissues over time, wreaks havoc with enzymes and produces a number of serious adverse health effects —including neurological and endocrine dysfunction The film, Fluoridegate, places particular focus on how water fluoridation harms young children, as they tend to suffer the greatest health effects 25 human studies have linked fluoride with lowered IQ in children, including recent research from Harvard, and 100 animal studies linking it to brain damage Water fluoridation came about as the result of a massive PR campaign, and was reportedly first suggested as a way to protect aluminum and steel producers from lawsuits against the fluorine pollution coming from their factories ... DOE Submits Plan to Recycle Radioactive Waste into Consumer Goods The Department of Energy (DOE) has released a proposal that would allow nearly 14,000 tons of radioactive metals to be recycled for use in consumer goods The proposal would modify an existing suspension to allow scrap metals from radiological areas to be released to private industry to be used for any purpose, including recycling The DOE’s proposal would only add to the growing amount of radioactive scrap metal already circulating globally, contributing to increasing “background” levels of radiation exposure that have been linked to cancer, cataracts, birth defects and more

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Previous Update (1/15/13): Here are titles of articles by Dr. Mercola from his December newsletters. See http://nhc.lefora.com/forum/category/mercola/ . Mercola is better than so-called "health insurance", which only insures corporate profits and poor public health.