Many people may not know it, but there are actually numerous health benefits of chocolate. The real, unadulterated form of chocolate, derived from the Theobroma cacao tree, is a heaven-sent super food that can keep us healthy even as we indulge in its delectable taste. Many overly processed chocolates are full of refined sugar and saturated fatty acids, but the real stuff is packed full of plant derived flavanols, full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory constituents and health-boosting ingredients that do all sorts of amazing things for our bodies and minds.
Take for example, the following 10 benefits to heart:
In a 9-year study conducted by the Swedes, it was found that people who consumed chocolate just 1 to 3 times per month had a 26% lower risk of developing heart failure. If you normally give your sweetheart chocolate, consider making it dark chocolate to provide an extra bit of love to the heart muscle.
A meta-analysispublished recently in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that those who consume chocolate experience a reduction in blood pressure.
Chocolate increases communication between opiate receptors in the brain as well as supports the production of dopamine, two hormones that increase happiness and contribute to feelings of elation.
Real chocolate, or cocoa, is associated with decreased low-density lipoprotein levels and increased high-density lipoprotein levels. These are important for carrying cholesterol to the liver.
Eating chocolate releases the same hormones that our bodies make when we are in love: Phenylethylamine (PEAs).
Raw cacao contains N-acylethanolamines that are believed to temporarily increase the levels of anandamide in the brain and enzyme inhibitors that slow its breakdown. This means we feel more relaxed when we eat chocolate.
Eating chocolate increases our endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers.
Raw cacao consumption can help with weight loss as it eradicates sweet cravings. The abundance of antioxidants can also help keep our metabolism running smoothly. An article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry says you can enjoy cacao several times a week to boost weight loss.
Cacao can be enjoyed in raw form as a powder, as cacao nibs, or as a dark chocolate bar minus the refined sugar and unhealthy fats. You can mix a little cacao with honey and cinnamon over low heat on the stove for a delicious sweet treat, with the combined health benefits of all three foods for a vitamin-packed dessert.
Five of 13 major crop pests have evolved resistance to corn and cotton genetically engineered to make their own insecticide, providing lessons for extending the usefulness of such technologies, University of Arizona researchers said in a study.
The increase in resistance, from one insect species in 2005, was expected because the crops are more widely planted, pests have been exposed to the insecticides for more years and monitoring efforts have improved, according to the study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Some technologies have kept resistance at bay for more than than 15 years while others succumb in as few as two years, the study said.
More than 1 billion acres (405 million hectares) worldwide have been planted with crops engineered to produce insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a soil bacterium, reducing use of chemical insecticides, the study said. Where data shows large numbers of resistant pests are living in fields, and where the resistant trait is not recessive, regulators need to take stronger actions, the study said.
Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. Outlawed in the United States in 1937, its social use continues to increase and public opinion is swinging in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana. There are an estimated 17.4 million current users of marijuana in the United States. Approximately 4.6 million of these users smoke marijuana daily or almost daily. A synthetic form of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, has already been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions. With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in two states and the legalization of medical marijuana in 19 states and the District of Columbia, physicians will increasingly encounter marijuana use among their patient populations.
A multicenter research team analyzed data obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. They studied data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used marijuana in the past but were not current users, and 2,103 had never inhaled or ingested marijuana. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured via blood samples following a nine hour fast, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance.
Participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These associations were weaker among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but not in the past thirty days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use. Current users had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than participants who reported never having used marijuana in their lifetimes.
Large waist circumference is linked to diabetes risk. In the current study there were also significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.
“Previous epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared to people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes, but ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance,” says lead investigator Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
“It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., those with diabetes may have been told to cease smoking). However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant,” states Elizabeth Penner, MD, MPH, an author of the study.
Although people who smoke marijuana have higher average caloric intake levels than non-users, marijuana use has been associated with lower body-mass index (BMI) in two previous surveys. “The mechanisms underlying this paradox have not been determined and the impact of regular marijuana use on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown,” says coauthor Hannah Buettner.
The investigators acknowledge that data on marijuana use were self-reported and may be subject to underestimation or denial of illicit drug use. However, they point out, underestimation of drug use would likely yield results biased toward observing no association.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, “These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.
“We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly,” continues Alpert.” I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form.”
In the winter, we complain about the cold. In the summer, it’s the heat—and the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can seriously add frustration to any outdoor activity, and if you’re like me, you want to spend as much time outdoors as possible when the weather heats up. While there are plenty of sprays, lotions, and gels that offer to keep the pests away, we all know these chemical baths are far from safe. Luckily, you can easily use a natural mosquito repellent to get rid of mosquitoes and bypass the harmful chemicals.
Natural mosquito repellents come in many forms. There are oils for your skin, plants to keep around, and even things you can eat. You can change your environment to make it less attractive to them and you can even use foods to change your body’s chemistry.
Let’s look at some of the more worthwhile natural insect repellents you can use to get rid of mosquitoes.
Lemon eucalyptus is possibly one of the most well-known and widely recognized natural solutions for repelling mosquitoes. Whether you can find the plant to keep around your home or the essential oil to apply to pulse points, the more you can keep this scent around, the fewer pests you’ll see.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (notoriously anti-natural solutions) has even admittedthe plant is as effective as DEET (used in traditional bug sprays) in mosquito repelling.
You can find natural bug-repelling products with lemon eucalyptus in it or you can make your own with the essential oil and a carrier oil like jojoba.
2. Catnip
Yes, catnip isn’t only for cats. As I wrote about a few weeks ago, this easily grown herb has many useful medicinal and household applications—including being used as a natural mosquito repellent. Researchers with Iowa State University found it to be 10 times more effective than DEET.
Because it’s a prolific grower, putting some catnip in pots around your patio can help ward off the little bugs. Also, you can simply rub the oils from the leaves on your skin. This is one of 5 homemade mosquito repellents we posted earlier.
3. Lemongrass
Lemongrass is also known as citronella, and while you can find citronella candles and oils, the plant is just as or even more effective. It’s a beautiful grass and can add landscaping interest to your yard or is great in large pots. Its effects are far-reaching, not only for repelling mosquitoes, but other bothersome bugs too.
Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is a monthly occurrence for many women. The cramping, migraines, lethargy, and moodiness can range from an inconvenience to incapacitating for some. For many women, prescription medications are their only solution – or so they think. However, scientists with the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Services and Harvard have recently found that women with a diet rich in iron are far less likely to suffer from the symptoms of PMS.
Women: Increase Iron Intake, Reduce Symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome
For the study, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers studied 3,000 women between the ages of 25 and 42, assessing their mineral intake through food questionnaires for 10 years. Less than half were diagnosed with PMS at the study’s completion, and 1,968 were free from the syndrome.
After accounting for calcium intake and other factors that could influence their symptoms, scientists found that those who ate a diet rich in iron were 30 to 40% less likely to develop PMS. Even more exciting is which foods that iron came from.
According to senior author of the study Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson:
“We found that women who consumed the most non-heme iron, the form found primarily in plant foods and supplements, had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of developing PMS than women who consumed the lowest amount of non-heme iron.”
This is significant because most individuals immediately think of animal products when iron comes to mind.
Additionally, the researchers found that those with a higher intake of zinc were also at a reduced risk of PMS. Zinc is another mineral that can easily be obtained from plant-based sources.
“Our findings need to be replicated in other studies. However, women at risk for PMS should make sure they are meeting the RDA for non-heme iron and zinc,” concluded Bertone-Johnson.
Plant based iron sources include foods like lentils, spinach, quinoa, non-GMO soybeans, swiss chard, and black beans. Zinc can be found in pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, chia seeds, and cocoa powder.
Because the research was done on women before and following the onset of menstruation, it also serves as a good reminder to parents: feed your daughters well and ensure you are including healthy sources of iron and zinc.
=================
Carnicom Institute Quarterly Newsletter, April 2013
Two Windows
In this newsletter, Carnicom Institute offers you a window into our present work from two perspectives: our research and our financial needs.
Indeed, these two aspects of our work go hand in hand. In order to engage in the research that is urgently needed, a greater financial commitment from the public is paramount. So this issue of our newsletter will present both a Window on Our Research, as well as a Window on CI Financial Support: Your Opportunity to become a Carnicom Institute Subscriber.
Clifford Carnicom at work
Window into Our Research:
Morgellons : A Working Hypothesis
Neural, Thyroid, Liver, Oxygen, Protein and Iron Disruption
A body of evidence, accumulated over a period of several years, reveals that the Morgellons condition is likely characterized by a host of serious physiological and metabolic imbalances. These imbalances are caused by the disruption of a variety of major body processes including, as a minimum, the regulation of metabolism by the thyroid, potential liver enlargement, a decrease of oxygen in the circulatory system, the utilization of amino acids important to the body, the oxidation of iron and a potential impact to neural pathways. The impact of this degradation to human health can be concluded to be serious, debilitating and potentially lethal in the cumulative sense; the reports of those who suffer from the condition are in alignment with these conclusions. This article will summarize the body of work and chronology which leads to this more comprehensive hypothesis.
Caption: The graph above is showing a signature of chemical and structural composition of an oral filament sample characteristic of the “Morgellons” condition.
It is now understood, to a relatively high level of confidence, the essential molecular and chemical composition of the Morgellons biological filamentous material. This knowledge is a prerequisite to understanding at least a portion of the impact to the body and human health. It now appears, from all available research, that this determined molecular composition can be summarized in the following complex phrase:
Read the rest of the research paper here:
An elderly, but wonderfully functional, Perkin Elmer 1320 infrared (IR) spectrophotometer has been acquired by the Carnicom Institute. This class of instrument has been sought after for many years by this researcher and organization. The value and purpose of an infrared spectrophotometer (along with other instruments as well) is that it can be used to gain insight into the molecular structure of organic compounds.
January 2013 – Environmental Filament: Keratin Encasement
It can now be established with a high degree of certainty that the external casing of the environmental filament samples are composed of keratin or a keratin-like material. This supposition has been in place for a number of years by this researcher; it can now be demonstrated to be the case by direct chemical and spectroscopic means.
An improved method of penetration of the environmental (airborne) filament sample has been achieved. This accomplishment provides a pathway to an increased understanding of the structure and contents of the fibers. Numerous studies have been reported on the nature of this filament material over the years on this site. This material is the same type of material that was sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a decade ago.
January 2013 – Environmental Filament: False Report
It is now appropriate to disclose the circumstances involving a laboratory report on an airborne filament sample that was paid for in the year of 1999. This report was issued jointly, by three separate companies, and they shall remain anonymous at this time. It is now appropriate to present this information as the conclusions of the report are undeniably false.
=================
Recent Interviews
Russ Tanner, Chemtrails Global Skywatch
On February12, 2013: Clifford Carnicom, an early Morgellon’s researcher, participated as a guest speaker in an interview with Russ Tanner through Global SkywatchCommunications. Clifford is a research pioneer providing scientific evidence and confirmation of the connection between geoengineering and bioengineering. Carnicom Institute now has a body of research that establishes a link between airborne environmental filaments and biological samples from Morgellon’s sufferers.
In the interview, Clifford expressed a renewed hope for reliable and focused solutions to serious environmental and health issues. This optimism is based on the Institute’s recent acquisition of some key laboratory equipment and office space. With recent donations and the research progress, we are in the process of revealing a scientific fingerprint of the unusual filaments found both in our environment and in the bodies of human beings.
Whether you are new to the idea that geoengineering is linked to Morgellon’s condition or you are well versed on these serious issues, you will want to hear the most recent presentation by visiting:
European TV Interview – an onsite media session with a public TV crew from Europe in March; we will keep you abreast of any productions that might ensue.
KSFR Camp Lovewave Interview – Clifford will be interviewed on a local FM radio station at the end of April.
Clifford was interviewed by Dan Lefkowitz on WVEW, Brattleboro Community Radio, in Vermont. We plan to make this interview available on the website in the near future.
Pathologist visit from Europe – an extended discussion with a European pathologist was held at the Institute office in Santa Fe in March.
NEW VIDEO: The Carnicoms’ Trip to the Grand Canyon, Summer 2012
The Carnicoms spend as much time as they can camping and hiking. Clifford filmed last November’s descent into the Grand Canyon so that you too could come along. Relax to the melodies which accompany this lovely nature video: “A Grand Ceremony: A Descent into the Grand Canyon.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhFUxLnZ5o
=================
Window on CI Financial Support: Your Opportunity to Become a CI Subscriber
Carnicom Institute is poised for growth. Early this year we moved into our first external designated lab/office space in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is due to the gift of a few generous anonymous donors. Prior to this, all lab work had been done by Clifford Carnicom in the lab/office in his own home. Carnicom Institute is extending its priorities to include the urgent need for funding to accelerate the research.
Our ability to inform and influence the public and to promote our work is greatly magnified by your gift of subscription. If just two individuals on this mailing list will subscribe to Carnicom Institute at $10/month, it will support a day of research at the Institute office. Time and funding for research remains limited without additional support, and the progress of our work underway is directly affected by your contributions. You can make a difference.
Please take advantage of this opportunity now by becoming a subscriber at the most generous level that you can afford. The world is calling to us; if we don’t respond, the results are unthinkable. We invite you, as someone who cares enough about our work to be on our present mailing list, to become a subscriber to the Carnicom Institute. The world stands to be a better place by your gift of continuing support!
Subscribe to Carnicom Institute by clicking the subscribe link found on the bottom of the home page:
We’d like to offer you a gift in exchange, knowing, however, that our real offering to you is the research done by Mr. Carnicom, the results of which will benefit the health and well-being of all.
A monthly pledge of $10 entitles a new subscriber to receive the CI “Cloud Cover” DVD.
A monthly pledge of $20 entitles a new subscriber to receive the CI “Cloud Cover” DVD and a cap embroidered with the CI logo.
A monthly pledge of $35 entitles a new subscriber to receive the CI “Cloud Cover” DVD, a cap embroidered with the CI logo, and a set of beautiful nature photography greeting cards.Your pledge is greatly appreciated and it enables the Carnicom Institute to continue its valuable research into the health and environmental issues of our times. Sufficient pledges will also permit us to begin providing webinars to the public on current research topics.
THANK YOU FOR BECOMING A SUBSCRIBERTO CI!
Morgellons Research Project Update: Participants Needed for Group 3
Many of you already know about and some of you are participating in our Morgellons Research Project. We have roughly 200 people who have submitted a request to be in the project and we are moving people through its three phases. We are still in need of people to populate Group 3, which is the group that has some Morgellons symptoms but is not showing skin lesions or filaments. If you think you might fit that description, please consider volunteering to be part of the project. To find out more about the MRP, please go to:
The results of our study will do a great deal to give the Morgellons condition the scientific legitimacy it deserves. Thank you for your consideration of our request, for we cannot do this without you.
We are in the process of meeting standards set by the National Institute of Health for research done upon human subjects. At this time, our attention is turned toward this credentialing process. Activity on the MRP will resume once this is completed, which we expect will be in May or early June.
=================
Environmental Filament Study
A unique environmental filament material has been documented on numerous occasions for more than a decade. It has been observed both airborne and at ground level. In approximately two months, Carnicom Institute will begin conducting a comprehensive scientific investigation of filament samples. We are asking the public to provide these samples and we need your help. Please follow this link to get involved.
Susan Finer, associate, a treasured volunteer who has given so much to CI, has decided to move on due to many other responsibilities in her work and life. We would like to take this opportunity to formally thank Susan for her great contribution to CI. It has been a joy to work with her and she will be missed! We wish her the very best always.
Ryan Hannigan, associate, has initiated the design for a laboratory heating unit and he is working with Gary Sundby on this project. He has also developed some special gift items for our donors. Due to Ryan’s efforts, CI can now offer a baseball cap and a tote bag embroidered with the CI logo. The hat is made of organic cotton.
Kate Willens, associate is helping to manage day to day operations of the Institute. She coordinates the Morgellons Research Project and contributes to our newsletters and other corporate communications. She is also active in recruiting and training volunteers.
Gary Sundby, member has been very busy with a multitude of projects of a highly technical nature. He has been very creative in making an inexpensive pen to be used with our newly acquired IR spectrophotometer. Normally the pens for this machine are very expensive. He has also researched how to connect a computer interface between the spectrometer and our computer so that we can generate graphs in an electronic format. He is also researching the possibility of designing and building a Reflective Particulate Detector. If this proves successful it will give us the ability to investigate the air we breathe. Although this will not initially be a quantitative sampling, it will allow comparison between clean air and contaminated air.
Pete Horner, member is our IT specialist. He is at work transferring older files from our old website to our present website. Pete has transferred upwards of 20 articles and links to the Research Papers page. Pete is working to get all of our articles, videos, and research papers into one location. To date Pete has recovered 100 pages for our research library which can be found on www.carnicominstitute.org.
Cindy Barker, member is working diligently on the CI Business Plan which will provide a blueprint for our development over the foreseeable future. We hope to extend CI’s reach so that the research done by Clifford Carnicom can be made accessible throughout the world to other researchers and scientists, to activists, and to other organizations seeking to end global aerosol operations.
David Bankert, member has been guiding our communications staff in creating a mailer that will be sent by postal mail to potential donors. We have been busy writing about the many aspects of our work and why giving to CI is actually an investment which will benefit everyone.
We are delighted to welcome new prospective member Heidi Morgan, and look forward to her contributions to CI.
CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING WITH CI
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
In these times, those who understand the challenges facing us need to step forward to meet these challenges. Volunteering with CI is an excellent means of doing so. Volunteers enter into all aspects of CI’s important and often fascinating work, including communication and correspondence, research projects, promotion of CI, fundraising, developing and creating web projects, and ensuring the continuing development of the organization. To find out more aboutvolunteering with CI, please visit us at:
CI Is Looking for a Volunteer Bookkeeper/Accountant: We are looking for someone skilled in Double Entry Bookkeeping to join our staff. If you have this experience, and would like to contribute to a very worthy cause, you would be making a significant difference by volunteering with us. Thank you!
CI Is Looking for Chemistry/Biochemistry Volunteer Research Assistants to help with the Environmental Filament Study. Please see the announcement for this study further down the page.
=================
Carol Carnicom’s FAMOUS GREEN HEALTH SMOOTHIE RECIPE
Clifford and Carol drink this tasty smoothie every day to ensure that their bodies are receiving many nutrients that help promote good health. This smoothie has evolved from Carol’s knowledge of nutrition and Clifford’s unique research. They would like to share it with you. Here’s to your health! Please note: the link can be found on our website.
Please visit Carnicom Institute’s You Tube channel. If you haven’t yet seen Clifford’s presentation at last summer’s “Consciousness Beyond Chemtrails” Conference, you don’t want to miss it.: Geoengineering and Bioengineering, the Unmistakable Link.
On November 13, 2008, Carnicom Institute became a domestic nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Mexico. On March 8, 2009, Carnicom Institute received approval from the New Mexico Attorney General’s office to operate as a nonprofit organization. In August, 2011, Carnicom Institute received formal notice that its request for 501 c3 status pursuant to IRS Code had been approved. What this means is that all donations to Carnicom Institute are tax deductible as charitable contributions.
Institute Disclaimer
Carnicom Institute is an educational and research organization. We serve the public welfare. We do not advocate any particular products, protocols or therapies related to health or environmental safeguard. It is up to the audience to make an educated decision on how to use the information that is presented. The Institute does not perform any medical diagnosis or prescription of therapy. All studies conducted by the Institute are for research purposes only. Any presentation, opinion or expression by any representative of Carnicom Institute or outside affiliation in no way implies or denotes endorsement by the Institute. The Institute is not affiliated with any political or religious groups.
Thank you for your support!
Carnicom Insititute – PO Box 23721, Santa Fe, 87502, United States
Over 70% of the foods on the Canadian shelves contain GMO foods. The main ones are corn, soy, oil from canola and cottonseed, sugar from sugar beets, and a small amount of zucchini and crook neck squash. Livestock feeds are GMO too so it’s having an effect on the animals we eat.
So GMOs are not good for our health. They can cause food allergies. Some plants produce toxins but the levels are too low to damage humans. GMO can increase toxicity in plants and studies have shown that by consuming GMO plants people are risking Antibiotic resistance. I have also read that GMO food makes people gain weight and gives people cancer. Studies on rats 100% verify the dangers of ingesting GMO foods.
On Saturday May 25th 2013 The March Against Monsanto saw millions in 436 cities in 52 countries challenging biotech corporations and protesting against genetically modified foods.
This video records the events at city Hall Saturday May 25th 2013, here are some words from the people that attended the March Against Monsanto in Hamilton Ontario:
This video gives a quick over view of Monsanto’s dark history in the involvement of producing an abundant of commercial toxic chemicals to being involved with environmental warfare in Vietnam by producing Agent Orange which has left the country with children still being born deformed to this day. Their fertilizers, their herbicides and GMO foods are nothing but trash for the human body and is causing bodily harm to anyone who eats it for long periods of time:
In Canada, by law, grocery stores and producers have the free will choice to inform the consumer or to not to inform the consumer if it’s GMO. Other words GMO’s don’t have to be labeled. So unless you’re getting organic , you honestly will never know if you’re consuming GMO or not.
How do you know what’s organic and what’s not?
“Many people are left wondering if the food they are buying has been genetically modified or not. Mainly because there is no law or regulation stating that the foods need to be labeled as such.
The way to find out is surprisingly easy. By reading the PLU code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.
I am going to use bananas as an example. A banana that has been regularly grown with pesticides and other chemicals has the PLU # 4011.
Many people believe that a 5 digit PLU means that it is gm produce. Which is only 50% correct. I will explain.
An organic banana will. have the PLU 94011. All organic produce has a 5 digit PLU code that always starts with the number 9.
But gmo produce also has a 5 digit PLU. A genetically modified banana would have the PLU code 84011. All gm produce .starts with the number 8.”
click above to enlarge
It seems like a lot of effort by political parties such as the NDP are trying to put legislation for mandatory GMO labeling but I don’t really feel like there is enough effort being put into banning them. The GMO crop’s pollen can travel far distances and it can cross contaminate with organic crops and ultimately is a huge risk at making organic food go extinct because once it cross contaminates the organic crop is no longer organic because it contains the DNA of the GMO crop.
Our government and farmers should be taking a bigger stance on this like the way they did in European Union in the country of Hungary in 2011 when they burned the fields of GMO crops to ashes. One can not fight the new world order if they are sick and have diseases. Get involved in raising awareness, research where to get organic foods and stop giving into corporatism. First step to change is action and awareness. Act upon yourself to incorporate more healthy food in your diet and raise awareness in hopes of bringing change to eventually ban these poisonous foods.
Results presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting shows that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) can cause behavioural reactions similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine
These results, presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, suggest food addiction could explain, at least partly, the current global obesity epidemic partly caused by these ingredients.
The same brain circuits are involved when people crave high fructose corn syrup as when drug addicts think about drugs. There is significant activity in all areas of the brain, especially in the hippocampus when consuming potent sweeteners. That region is related to learning, memory and is also related to a lot of things such as sensory and motor impulse and emotional behavior.
The stimulators also sent messages of satiety to brain circuits in the orbitofrontal cortex and striatum, which have been linked to craving and desire in cocaine addicts.
High-fructose corn syrup, which is a mixture a potent concentrated cocktail of the simple sugars fructose and glucose, came into use in the 1970s and by 2010 the average American was consuming about 80 pounds of it per year. Overall, dietary intake of fructose has increased by an estimated 50 percent in the last thirty years.
It has suffered from a spate of bad publicity in recent years, and food and beverage manufacturers have been increasingly switching it out of their products in preference for beet or cane sugar (sucrose). Once public awareness campaigns regarding HFCS toxicity went viral, the Corn Refiners Association petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking it to allow the term ‘corn sugar’ as an alternative label declaration for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Increased consumption of HFCS also results in depletion of chromium in the body, which is important is helping glucose pass from the bloodstream into the cells.
According to two recent U.S. studies, almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient.
Consumers in Europe and Canada should also be aware that HFCS is often listed under different names under the auspices of regulatory bodies which define food labeling exemptions. For example, HFCS can be legally labeled as glucose/fructose and high fructose maize syrup in Canada. Although the EU restricts the amount that can be manufactured, it does allow the term isoglucose to be substituted for HFCS in food labels.
Increased availability of such highly-palatable foods could partly explain the high incidence of obesity around the world, but simple availability does not explain why some people are obese and others are not, given the same amount of available food. Dr. Leri, and others, suggest one important factor could be individual differences in vulnerability to addiction. Surveys of consumption of cocaine show that though many individuals try these drugs, only a small percentage of them become addicted. Dr. Leri wanted to know if the same could be true of “addictive foods”. “We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and for cocaine” says Leri.
Dr. Leri investigated the behavioural, chemical and neurobiological changes induced by consumption of “addictive foods” in the bodies and brains of rats. “We are not rats, but our children do not think too much about the impact of sweets on their brain and behaviour. There is now convincing neurobiological and behavioural evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible. Our primary objective is to discover biological predictors of vulnerability to develop excessive consumption of high fructose corn syrup ,” says Leri.
Dr. Leri’s findings could lead to novel pharmacological interventions for obese individuals that could help them selectively reduce intake of unhealthy foods. This knowledge could also help increase the public’s understanding of the effects of unhealthy food choices. An effective strategy to combat obesity is to educate people about the causes and consequences of their choices.
The most popular foods that have HFCS include yogurts, soft drinks, breads, frozen pizzas, cereal bars, cocktail nuts, boxed cheese pasta, sauces/salad dressings, jams, sweetened canned fruit and processed snacks.
Take a good look at all ingredient labels to get more informed about how HFCS is incorporated into some of your favorite foods. If you overlook ingredients, you could be sacrificing your physical and mental health.
About the Author
April McCarthy is a community journalist playing an active role reporting and analyzing world events to advance our health and eco-friendly initiatives.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.
This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.
(NaturalNews) The human brain contains an extensive network of special receptor sites that modulate nervous system function only when activated by the appropriate cannabinoid compounds, many of which are found in abundance in the marijuana plant. And emerging research continues to uncover the unique role these cannabinoids play in protecting brain function, which in turn helps deter the aging process and even reverse the damaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and cognitive abnormality.
One of the latest discoveries concerning cannabinoids involves their ability to act as antioxidants in the brain. Researchers from Germany found that the brain’s cannabinoid system is fully capable of not only cleansing damaged brain cells from the brain, but also triggering the production of new brain cells within the brain, a concept that contradicts years of conventional thinking about how the brain works. Cannabinoids also supercharge mitochondria in the brain, which are the powerhouses of energy that maintain proper cell function.
Published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, these discoveries shed new insight on how natural marijuana cannabinoids hold the capacity to literally quell the brain inflammation responsible for causing cognitive decline, neural failure, and brain degeneration. By supplying these receptor sites with cannabinoids, patients may be able to overcome brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and many other conditions, not to mention premature brain aging, all conditions for which modern science has failed to find real solutions.
“I’ve been trying to find a drug that will reduce brain inflammation and restore cognitive function in rats for over 25 years; cannabinoids are the first and only class of drugs that have ever been effective,” said Gary Wenk, a professor of neuroscience, immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State University (OSU) who helped with the research. “I think that the perception about this drug is changing and in the future people will be less fearful,” he added, referencing the fact that marijuana is still viewed mostly negatively by many people.
Marijuana cannabinoids help restore the body’s own natural cellular abilities
Ever since researchers first discovered the existence of cannabinoid receptor systems in rat brains back in 1988, independent scientists largely unconcerned with the stigma of marijuana have been gradually forming a piecemeal understanding of how the system works, and how cannabinoids can help prevent and reverse all sorts of chronic conditions that result from a lack of these important compounds. Today, marijuana research is moving forward more strongly than ever, and this taboo plant is finally receiving proper recognition as the medical “superfood” that it truly is.
“Cannabis actually goes upstream, it provides feedback from the postsynaptic nerve to the presynaptic nerve, which is unheard of in neural chemistry,” explains Dr. William Courtney, founder of the Cannabis International Foundation (CIF), which is actively working to consolidate all available and relevant science on marijuana’s medical uses for the purpose of promoting a reformation in health maintenance, restoration, and wellness around the world.
“The phytocannabinoids from this plant augment the body’s attempt to restore an increased function to a normal level. So [marijuana cannabinoids] mimic the regulatory system of cellular physiology.”
You can learn more about the work of CIF, as well as watch a 15-minute introductory video into the group’s work, entitled Leaf, by visiting: http://www.cannabisinternational.org/
Smoking marijuana has numerous health benefits and they are:
A lot of people say cannabis has no medicinal value when it is smoked. Let’s finally put this myth to bed. Is smoking weed good for you? Well…. It depends…
1. Cancer
There are a lot of people that say smoking pot can cause lung cancer because your inhaling smoke, like cigarettes. This simply isn’t true. Cigarette smoke causes cancer because the tobacco is radiated whereas marijuana isn’t. In fact, the American Association for Cancer Research has found the marijuana actually works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain considerably. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm
2. Seizures
Marijuana is a muscle relaxant and has “antispasmodic” qualities which have proven to be a very effective treatment of seizures. There are actually countless cases of people suffering from seizures that have only been able to function better through the use of marijuana.
3. Migraines
Since medicinal marijuana was legalized in California, doctors have reported that they have been able to treat more than 300,000 cases of migraines that conventional medicine could not do.
5. Multiple Sclerosis
Marijuana’s effects on multiple sclerosis patients became better documented when former talk-show host, Montel Williams began to use pot to treat his MS. Marijuana works to stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms that come from the fatal disease. http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=4963
6. Tourette’s and OCD
Just like marijuana can treat seizures and multiple sclerosis, marijuana’s effects slow down the tics in those suffering from Tourette’s, and the obsessive neurological symptoms in people with OCD http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/marjuana_tourettes.shtml
8. IBS and Crohn’s
Marijuana has shown that it can help with symptoms of the chronic diseases as it stops nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=4561
9. Alzheimer’s
The Scripps Institute, in 2006, proved that the THC found in marijuana works to prevent Alzheimer’s by blocking the deposits in the brain that cause the disease. http://www.scripps.edu/news/press/080906.html
10. Premenstrual Syndrome
Just like marijuana is used to treat IBS, it can be used to treat the cramps and discomfort. Using marijuana for PMS actually goes back to the days of Queen Victoria. http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/1376.html
THECLARK COMPANIES is well known corporation in it’s local domain within Haldimand County and the surrounding area. THE CLARK COMPANIES head office is in Caledonia Ontario and is made of a family of Canadian companies located in Southern Ontario, involved in many aspects of agricultural production and related agriculture-business world wide.
This corporation is one of it’s biggest kinds in Canada, they produce a lot of food in meat and crop. largest producer of poultry in Canada and they sell seeds to thousands of farmers that supply crops for the food industry. It just so happens that CLARKS sells Genetically Modified Crops short form is GM Crops.
GM Crops are genetically modified organisms. These crops are the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another species, splicing and mixing DNA. It is done so the plant can produce it’s own insecticide or be able to live in conditions such as tolerating large amounts of herbicides such as RoundUp which is exactly the type of GM crop CLARK’s sells.
Monsanto is the corporation that first genetically engineered corn in the 1990′s so that it could be resistant to the company’s herbicide “RoundUp”. That means one can spray as much RoundUp around their crop and it will have no effect on it because the GMO corn has the DNA of glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, combined in with the DNA with the GMO corn, and that is why they are resistant to the herbicide roundup.
GMOs are not good for our health. They can cause Food Allergies. Some plants produce toxins but the levels are too low to damage humans. GM a plant can increase toxicity in plants and studies have shown that by consuming GMO plants people are risking Antibiotic resistance, meaning GM plant can be tested by growing it in a solution containing the corresponding antibiotic. If the plant survives scientists know that it has taken up the antibiotic resistance gene along with the desired gene. There is concern that bacteria living in the guts of humans and animals could pick up an antibiotic resistance gene from a GM plant before the DNA becomes completely digested .
A presentation at a news conference in London with Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen and colleagues said rats fed on a diet containing NK603 – a seed variety made tolerant to dousings of Roundup – or given water containing Roundup at levels permitted in the United States died earlier than those on a standard diet.
The animals on the GM diet suffered mammary tumours, as well as severe liver and kidney damage.
In my opinion it is hard to find organic corn in these days. Clarks and other companies sell genetically modified corn that can tolerate Monsanto’s herbicide known as roundup and millions of people are consuming them and they don’t even know it.
Also the herbicide RoundUp itself has dangers to be used in fields. A recent peer-review study published by scientists Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff in the Entropy Journal on April 18th 2013, suggests that heavy use of Roundup, could lead to health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease,
So eating GM crop alone is unhealthy but with the combination of RoundUp ingredients being in the soil and on the plant itself is a combination of death.
I wish farmers would just pay alittle more and go all organic so we can all eat healthy. Its all up to the farmers in the end to take care of health needs. If they’re not doing their job right then they should retire from their positions.
In some parts of the European Union growing GM crops have been banned.
Heirloom or heritage seeds are seeds that have been kept and bred before all GMO and hybrids came into existence. The corn supply has become nearly extinct.
Mayor Charlie Hales expressed his disappointment in a statement. “The measure lost despite my own ‘yes’ vote.That’s sure disappointing, but I accept the will of the voters.”
Portland voters first turned down fluoridation when the process began in the 1950′s, and again during the 1960′s. It was briefly approved in 1978, however that plan was overturned two years later, before any fluoride was ever added to the water.
After rumors of backroom deals between the City Council and fluoridation supporters emerged, clean water activists sprung to action. In response to last years city council vote to begin fluoridating water serving 900,000 citizens, protestors organized efforts to bring the issue to the public for a vote. After gathering over 40,000 signatures the measure was brought forth.
The issue also wound up politicizing a statewide health report that showed falling cavity and tooth decay rates in the state over the past five years. One of the report’s authors said she felt pressure by Upstream Health, the group spearheading fluoridation efforts, to present the findings in a certain way.
“The percentage of children who already had a cavity fell from 64 to 52 statewide, according to the survey. That represents a drop of nearly one-fifth.
The percentage of children with untreated decay also declined from 36 to 20 statewide, the survey found. That’s down by nearly half.
And the other major measure, rampant decay — which is defined as seven treated or untreated cavities — fell from 20 percent to 14 percent statewide. That’s down by about one-third. “
With this latest rejection Portland becomes the largest city in the United States that does not add fluoride to the water. Speaking to the Portland Tribune, Kim Kaminski, leader of Clean Water Portland said, “At a very fundamental level, people understand that we don’t want more chemicals in our water.”
This year marks the 68th anniversary of fluoridation – the first U.S. city to adjust the fluoride levels in its water supply was Grand Rapids, Mich. on January 25, 1945, according to the American Dental Association.
Despite the fact that most mainstream health organizations, including the American Medical Association, endorse fluoridation over 200 communities have rejected the practice in recent years. Opponents of fluoridation in Portland worry by adding fluoride to the water it will ruin the city’s famously pristine water supply, as well as violate an individuals civil liberties, by forced medicating through the water.
Portlands stance against water fluoridation has become an attacking point for many publications around the country. Accusations of being anti-science, or a conspiracy theorist abound for those opposing the controversial practice.
Despite a recent Salon article that claims the Fluoride Free movement is “Without a study to stand on” there are a number of studies that show a variety of health concerns . The article also states, “The (fluoride) ion occurs naturally in ground water in varying levels, some that are in fact too high.” While this claim is true it is also misleading.
When a city chooses to add “fluoride” to the water supply they are actually adding the toxic substance hydrofluorosilic acid. Hydrofluorosilic acid is a by-product of phosphate mining, and if not for cities purchasing the substance for millions of dollars, it would have to be disposed of at a hefty cost to the producer.
The history books are filled with examples of medical and scientific practices that were seen as safe at one point only to be demonized later. The early critics of any common practice are often ridiculed until new evidence creates a shift in understanding and future practices. When it comes to water fluoridation we are dealing with a similar situation.
For more information on the dangers of water fluoridation and how you can get involved please check out the Fluoride Action Network. (www.fluoridealert.org)
Ninth-graders design science experiment to test the effect of cellphone radiation on plants. The results may surprise you.
Photo courtesy of Kim Horsevad, teacher at Hjallerup Skole in Denmark.
Five ninth-grade young women from Denmark recently created a science experiment that is causing a stir in the scientific community.
It started with an observation and a question. The girls noticed that if they slept with their mobile phones near their heads at night, they often had difficulty concentrating at school the next day. They wanted to test the effect of a cellphone’s radiation on humans, but their school, Hjallerup School in Denmark, did not have the equipment to handle such an experiment. So the girls designed an experiment that would test the effect of cellphone radiation on a plant instead.
The students placed six trays filled with Lepidium sativum, a type of garden cress into a room without radiation, and six trays of the seeds into another room next to two routers that according to the girls calculations, emitted about the same type of radiation as an ordinary cellphone.
Over the next 12 days, the girls observed, measured, weighed and photographed their results. Although by the end of the experiment the results were blatantly obvious — the cress seeds placed near the router had not grown. Many of them were completely dead. While the cress seeds planted in the other room, away from the routers, thrived.
The experiment earned the girls (pictured below) top honors in a regional science competition and the interest of scientists around the world.
According to Kim Horsevad, a teacher at Hjallerup Skole in Denmark were the cress experiment took place, a neuroscience professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, is interested in repeating the experiment in controlled professional scientific environments.
Your liver is like the maid of your body, cleaning up all the toxins you put into it, and therefore keeping all internal systems running smoothly. The modern diet, environmental pollutants, and our increasing dependence on toxic personal care products have put our livers on serious overtime. For this reason, it’s important to know how to clean your liver thoroughly and effectively – oh, and naturally.
Your liver works to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances that we’ve eaten, inhaled, or rubbed on our bodies. When it is overworked—as it is in many modern adults—or when you are under a significant amount of physical or even mental stress, your liver can struggle to keep up.
“The thousands of enzyme systems that are responsible for virtually every body activity are constructed in the liver,” explains Dr. Karl Maret, M.D. “The proper functioning of the eyes, the heart, the brain, the gonads, the joints, and the kidneys are all dependent on good liver activity. If the liver is impaired from constructing even one of the thousands of enzyme systems the body requires, there is an impairment in overall body function and a resultant greater metabolic stress on the individual.”
How to Clean Your Liver – No Products Required
So, what can you do about it? Well, you could try a quality liver detox supplement, or you could use some items found at your local health food store, your grocery store, or even some that are already in your kitchen. Here is how to clean your liver with 5 common food items.
1. Warm Lemon Water - Warm lemon water is a great way to detox your liver every single morning. This isn’t lemonade, so don’t add sugar or anything else. Just purified water and a healthy dose of fresh lemon juice. Some experts, like author A.F. Beddoe who wrote the book Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, also believe that the liver produces more enzymes in response to water with lemon than to any other food.
2. Garlic - Add some garlic to your cooking or thinly slice a clove into your next salad. Garlic contains sulfur compounds that can help activate enzymes in the liver. It contains allicin and selenium, which are both good for liver protection.
3. Avocados - As if you need another reason to add avocados to your diet, a Japanese study found that avocados contain compounds that can protect the liver from damage. When compared with 21 other fruits, avocados had the most promise in protecting the liver from galactosamine, a “powerful” toxin that has been shown to produce a liver damage much like human viral hepatitis.
4. Cilantro - This versatile herb can be added to just about any dish, including salads or smoothies. This herb can help remove heavy metals from the body, something your liver could be struggling with right now.
5. Turmeric - Another powerful spice with a long list of benefits, turmeric is said to not only protect the liver from damage, but also encourage regeneration of liver cells. In addition, it increases natural bile production and aids in keeping the body toxin-free.
Cleansing your liver is crucial, so don’t hesitate to incorporate these liver-cleansing solutions right now. For more on how to clean your liver, check out these 4 natural liver cleansing foods outlined by Anthony Gucciardi.
(NaturalNews) For centuries, the art of breathing has been one of a myriad of tools employed by Yoga masters in order to calm the body and mind, in preparation for meditation, contemplation or simply to remain in control of one’s emotions. Long utilized as a spiritual practice, a recent study has now brought the use of breathing as a way to control emotions into the realm of neuroscience. The results are promising and could mean a reduction in the administration of drugs as a form of anxiety, depression and anger management.
The study and its findings
Carried out at the Universite de Louvain by Dr. Pierre Philippot, the research study focused on two groups with the aim of investigating whether breathing can generate and regulate emotions and their intensity.
While we are already aware that breathing has a calming effect on us, in situations such as when we are under pressure or in the midst of panic, it isn’t clear whether breathing actually generates emotions. This study helped immensely in that regard since it showed that each emotion actually has a specific breathing pattern associated with it.
For example:
Panic – Short, fast, shallow breaths Anger – Long forced breaths Calmness – Slow steady breaths Happiness – Long inhalations, long exhalations
The first group was asked to generate each of the above emotions by modifying their breathing pattern and recalling a memory that helps in eliciting that emotion.
Each participant from group one also filled out a questionnaire, citing breathing patterns alongside each emotion according to their own experience. This questionnaire proved to be eye-opening as the answers garnered were in accordance with each other right across the board, for the most part. That is, each participant used a similar breathing pattern to generate happiness (and this holds true also for the other emotions).
The second group was asked to breathe using the breathing patterns from the first study group. Not long after, they began to experience the specific emotion attached to that particular breathing pattern made clear in the first part of the test.
The results suggest – just as Yoga masters and instructors have known for centuries, breathing really does affect one’s emotional state.
What does this mean for you?
Quite simply, it means that there is now another tried and tested method for controlling our emotional state, which previously was believed so difficult. Once this information is passed on to the general public, no longer just in possession of Yoga practitioners, we might see a slight improvement in the general mental health of the population.
Sufferers of anxiety, depression, anger etc. will be able to learn how to control their emotions through breathing and this could mean a drop in the dependence upon drugs as a treatment. For many, drugs are not working, and are in fact making things worse.
Granted, just as with anything that requires concentration, such as exercise or meditation, breathing to control one’s emotions undoubtedly requires discipline and diligence. Nevertheless, these results offer a much needed alternative to the limited techniques already in use for those in emotional turmoil and could one day be employed by therapists and counselors.
About the author:
Seppo Puusa writes AcneEinstein.com blog – the place for science-based advice about alternative and natural acne treatments. We all love natural solutions to health problems, but with so many different solutions out there it can be hard to know what really works. That’s where AcneEinstein.com comes in. I scour the scientific literature and report back to you.
Anyone who consumes cannabis on a regular basis knows that it doesn’t make you a dangerous drive. To many people, it makes them a safer, more focused driver that’s more aware of their surroundings and the dangers associated with controlling tons of gasoline-filled metal. Not only has this been an anecdotal truth for as long as cars and cannabis have been paired, science has also been clear that consuming marijuana doesn’t make you a dangerous driver, and may in fact make some people safer drivers. More research is needed, but it’s hard to deny that of the research we have, marijuana hasn’t been found to increase a person’s risk of an accident.
To back this claim up, here’s a list of studies and research conducted on this very topic, some of which were funded by national governments in hopes of different results. (Sources are hyperlinked).
Psychiatrist Leon Eisenberg confessed months before his death that his ADHD is a’ made-up disease’. But does that mean there is no problem and the symptoms are not real? Or is something else going on. TrutherGirl investigates!
Particularly now that wireless communications are so closely integrated into our daily lives, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are all around us.
Our cities, especially the larger ones, are perpetually shrouded in an invisible electrosmog, a ‘sea’ of EMFs through which we swim every day.
But does this momentous development in civilisation come with health effects – and if so, can we do anything to reduce them?
What is ELF-EMF and what are its sources?
It’s important to realise that there are two main forms of EMF: radiofrequency (RF)-EMF and extremely low-frequency (ELF)-EMFs. The frequency range of ELF-EMF is 1–300 Hz, and the Earth’s natural geomagnetic field strength varies from around 60 μT (microtesla) at the magnetic poles to around 30 μT at the equator.
Many man-made sources of ELF-EMF exist. Prime among these artificial sources are power lines and electronic appliances, with vacuum cleaners, electric can-openers, microwave ovens, shavers and hair dryers among the most powerful. These appliances emit ELF-EMF at field intensities ranging from 17.44 to 164.75 μT, measured from 5 cm away. Since the intensity of magnetic fields decreases dramatically with increased distance from the source, the corresponding range of magnetic field intensities at 50 cm is 0.12–1.66 μT.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (INCIRP) has set limits of 1 mT (millitesla) for occupational exposure to ELF-EMF, and 200 μT for general public exposure. While these limits are not breached by individual man-made sources, additive effects must also be considered, as we shall see.
What is RF-EMF and what are its sources?
The frequencies of RF-EMFs are considerably higher than ELF-EMFs, ranging from 100 kHz to 300 GHz. As its name suggests, the main uses of RF-EMF are in broadcasting information. In today’s data-driven world, this means that RF-EMF is constantly around us: it is produced by things such as mobile phone base stations, cordless phones, utility ‘smart’ meters, remote control toys, wireless networks, radar and baby monitors. In addition, there are various natural sources of RF-EMF, including the Earth, the Sun and other black body radiators.
Here’s a shocking statistic: did you know that having a cordless phone base station in your house can expose you to the same level of RF-EMFs as having a mobile phone mast in your back garden?
Do EMFs pose health problems?
The mainstream view is that the only potential danger from EMFs stems from their heating effects on tissue, in the case of RF-EMF, or of electrical currents induced in the body for ELF-EMF. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that the athermal effects of ELF- and RF-EMFs also contribute to various health problems.
Childhood leukaemia
According to the BioInitiative report, evidence indicates that risk of childhood leukaemia in young boys doubles when they are exposed to ELF-EMF levels of 1.4 mG (milligauss), while other studies indicate that leukaemia risks begin at 2, 3 and 4 mG. This occurs in the context of an ICNIRP limit of 1000 mG.
The BioInitiative report also found that ELF-EMFs interfered with recovery from childhood leukaemia: if a child was exposed to levels of ≥2 mG during recovery, their risk of death increased by 300%, while at levels of ≥4 mG that risk increased to 450%.
Alzheimer’s disease
ELF-EMF has also been found to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by increasing levels of a protein called amyloid beta, a leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
Melatonin
EMFs have also been found to decrease the levels of melatonin in the body. Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland of the brain, which produces melatonin when it directly or indirectly detects low light levels. EMFs may interfere with this mechanism because the brain confuses them with light waves, thus suppressing the pineal gland’s melatonin production. Melatonin is an absolutely vital hormone. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, and has been found to aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s, depression, cardiovascular diseases, insomnia, mood disorders, tinnitus and various cancers.
Brain and auditory nerve cancers
RF-EMFs have been given a 2B classification – possibly carcinogenic – by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). They have been found to be possible causes of acoustic neuromas and brain tumours called gliomas. Studies have shown that using cordless phones, which produce RF-EMFs, can increase the risk of brain tumours by up to 470% after ≥10 years of use when habitually used on one side of the head. Mobile phones, in the same scenario, can increase the risk by up to 200%. Both mobiles and cordless phones can trigger reactions in people who suffer from electrohypersensitivity.
What about interactions between EMFs and other factors?
Of course, EMFs don’t affect us in isolation: everyone living in a city, for example, is bombarded by numerous chemical toxins and other environmental pollutants, and many of them take multiple pharmaceutical drugs – in addition to constant EMF exposure. We are at an early stage of investigating and defining these complex interactions, but existing research indicates that these combinations can have both beneficial and adverse effects. For example, in vitro DNA damage was caused by a 7 mT magnetic field in combination with ferrous chloride, but not with either agent alone. Other combinations of EMFs and agents enhanced analgesia and neural performance.
Call to action: Reduce your EMF exposure!
Thus, you should take as many steps as possible to reduce your exposure to EMFs. Suggested strategies include:
Using fibre-optic cables for your broadband
Using wired connections whenever possible
Keeping mobile and cordless phones away from your body
Using wired baby monitors: children are more effected by EMFs than adults
Keeping wireless routers or cordless phones out of regularly used bedrooms or children’s bedrooms
Reducing time spent in calls when using mobile or cordless phones
Reducing children’s exposure to wireless devices as much as possible
Avoiding using microwave oven
Avoiding placing wireless computers on your lap
Avoiding allowing your children to use remote-control toys for long periods of time, if at all
BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF) September 18, 2007 – BioInitiative Report / Complete 610 pp (pdf) From http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/index.htm I. SUMMARY FOR THE PUBLIC A. Introduction You cannot see it,…
Over the past two years, there has been mounting medical and scientific evidence of the grave biological dangers to humans from so-called “Smart” Meters exposure that are being installed by the hundreds of thousands all over North America and Europe.…
Neither radiofrequency (30 kHz-300MHz) nor microwave fields (300-3000 MHz) exist as significant components of the natural terrestrial electromagnetic environment. In consequence, our human generation is the first to voluntarily expose itself to artificial RF/microwave fields that cover a wide spectrum…
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author’s copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: publications@globalresearch.ca
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Here’s something I never thought we’d hear in this lifetime:
We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer.
A lot of us are secretly, boldly basking for reasons like vitamin D, mood enhancement, happiness, skin issues, liver health, pain and more. Now there’s never a reason to fear harm or feel guilty – you could save your heart - and prevent an untimely death!
The espoused fear for about 50 years has been skin cancer rates (which continue to rise), but researchers are finally surmising that years of hiding from the sun could lead to increased heart attacks – a much sooner demise than the risk of skin cancer in later years. Sunlight does so much more than vitamin D production.
A recent landmark study could turn the modern thought on sun exposure right on its head…
UK scientists from the University of Edinburgh discovered that when sunlight touches our skin it releases a compound in our blood called nitric oxide. This helps lower blood pressure and protect the heart from disease, cardiac arrest, strokes, and attacks.
Senior Lecturer in Dermatology, Richard Weller, and his colleagues believe there is such a greater effect overall from the sun in reducing life shortening events like strokes and heart attacks, that sun bathing should not only be “risked” but incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. There was such proof and such emphasis that the world’s largest gathering of skin experts flocked to hear about it recently at the International Investigative Dermatology event in Edinburgh.
The main emphasis is sunlight for heart health. They have connected some interesting dots:
Heart disease and high blood pressure rise in winter time
Heart issues correlate with location. Example: higher rates of problems in Northern Europe versus Southern Europe
Anywhere between 60 to 100 people die from strokes and heart disease for every person who dies from skin cancer (at least in Europe)
Vitamin D can lower heart disease rates but not so much with store bought supplements – it’s sun-induced vitamin D
However, this production of nitric oxide is completely separate from vitamin D production, so it’s something about sun-induced nitric oxide that is badly needed for heart health – does not come from vitamin D supplements
In past studies, sunlight has been found to zap infectious disease like chicken pox
A couple dozen volunteers basked in two separate 20 minute sunlamp sessions; one with only heat and one session with heat plus both types of UV rays. Blood pressure sank and heart rates rose for the UV session only – and the lowered blood pressure lasted for almost an hour.
Weller, certain that overall benefits far outweigh cancer risks, also said:
The work we have done provides a mechanism that might account for this, and also explains why dietary vitamin D supplements alone will not be able to compensate for lack of sunlight.
If this confirms that sunlight reduces the death rate from all causes, we will need to reconsider our advice on sun exposure. [emphasis added]
This study that was published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology in April was done with sun lamps – so you can imagine reaping the natural benefits of Good Ol’ Mr. Golden Sun. Sunlamps did not produce vitamin D. Get the real deal, and not that God-forsaken chemical spray that makes people look like Oompa-Loompa Kardashians.
The sun is sexy again – just don’t want to barbeque that lovely skin. Please avoid any sublock containing these chemicals - nanoparticles are on the rise, which means they can penetrate further into skin and blood. Have fun and make your own natural sunscreen and use after you get some pure sunshine.
Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.
Many of us do not have to be “sold” on the benefits of avocados—their silky texture and versatile flavor make them hard not to love. But when studies show that avocado-eaters are healthier overall than their counterparts, we feel justified in our love-affair with the green fruit. And the research may even convince some non-avocado-eaters to cross over to the other side.
Avocado-Eaters Found to Have Better Health than Non-Eaters
According to a recent study published in Nutrition Journal,eating avocados is associated with a lower body weight, lower BMI and waist circumference (a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes), higher “good” cholesterol, a lower intake of added sugars, better diet quality overall, and higher nutrient intake levels.
In other words, while the avocado itself provides many direct benefits, it also helps indirectly too.
The scientists looked at of over 17,000 U.S. adults, 347 ate avocadoes on a daily basis. Of these, they had more positive health indicators than those who did not. The average avocado consumption was about one-half of a medium avocado for women and a little more for men.
Avocado eaters had higher intakes of good fats and higher intakes of nutrients including fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K.
Avocado eaters had “significantly lower” BMI than others and weighed an average of 7.5lbs less.
The avocado-eaters also had smaller waist circumferences, on average 4 cm smaller, than the non-avocado eaters.
Avocado eaters had 50% lower risk for metabolic syndrome, which increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes.
Avocados are nutritional powerhouses, and this study suggests that people who eat them make healthier choices overall.
As if that isn’t enough, there are numerous other studies on the health benefits of avocados. These indicate the little fruits are good for fighting inflammation, regulating blood sugar, fighting the signs of aging, and even preventing cancer.
Their high antioxidant concentration makes them powerful healers and protectors against cellular damage by free radicals. One thing that makes the antioxidants in avocados unique is their ability to actually penetrate the mitochondria (the cellular engines, so to speak), where they can have the most impact.
You don’t even have to like guacamole to enjoy avocados. They go great in salads and wraps, while also being delicious on their own. The softer ones make a great substitute for unhealthy mayonnaise and can also be added to smoothies.
In a recent study published in the American Journal of Pathology, the active compound cortical cannabiboid type 2 (CB2) and the receptor cannabinoid trans-caryophyllene (TC) helps keep the brain and heart oxygenated instead of suffocating on plaques and congested arteries. Specifically, it was found that these compounds can spark recovery among ischemic brain injury patients.
There are three types of cannabinoid receptors in mammals: one set is contained in the ligands of the human body, cannadinoids such as THC are produced by the Cannabis plant, and synthetically created cannabinoids (like HU-120). The two subtypes of cannabinoids (CB1 and CB2) are of interest to those who have brain ischemia – a condition when high cholesterol and other plaques form on the inner walls of arteries or in cerebral tissue and keep oxygen from reaching the vital organs of the brain and heart.
Without any psychoactive side effects, the TC oil derived from Cannabis Sativa was very effective at protecting the brain from ischemia or oxygen deprivation. Cannabis Satvia oil protects the neurons and also ensures that mitochondria depolarization does not occur.
According to a study in theAmerican Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology:
“Mitochondria are central for various cellular processes that include ATP production, intracellular Ca2+ signaling, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Neurons critically depend on mitochondrial function to establish membrane excitability and to execute the complex processes of neurotransmission and plasticity.”
Add yet another beneficial use for hemp – it already has over 25,000 applications! Who can guess why it isn’t legal in more than a few states? Surely, the pharmaceutical companies stand to gain nothing from this plant, but civilization certainly does. Maybe as states legalize industrial and medical hemp, we can start utilizing it in other states to protect the brain from neurodegeneration, cancer, and countless other ailments.
Shown to ease tension, reduce nausea, and even treat cancer, cannabinoids in the hemp plant have been used medically since 2737 BC. It is also a fundamental ‘herb’ in Chinese medicine and utilized in Ayurvedic medicine. Is it possible that the myriad uses of hemp coming to our awareness are still growing, or are they simply being re-discovered?
—
Christina Sarich is a certified yoga teacher and is passionate about bringing natural cures to the attention of the masses so that people can stop using poisonous pharmaceutical drugs to cure every-day ailments. Her recent book, Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body and Mind Through the Art of Yoga was recently released.
The United States is a deeply unhappy place. We are a nation that is absolutely consumed by fear, stress, anger and depression. It isn’t just our economy that is falling apart – the very fabric of society is starting to come apart at the seams and it is because of what is happening to us on the inside. The facts and statistics that I am going to share with you in this article are quite startling.
They are clear evidence that America is a nation that is an advanced state of decline. We are overwhelmed by fear, stress and anxiety, and much of the time the ways that we choose to deal with those emotions lead to some very self-destructive behaviors. Americans have experienced a standard of living far beyond the wildest dreams of most societies throughout human history, and yet we are an absolutely miserable people. Why is this? Why is America #1 in so many negative categories? Why are we constantly looking for ways to escape the pain of our own lives? Why are our families falling apart? There is vast material wealth all around us. So why can’t we be happy?
Just look around you. Are most of the people around you teeming with happiness and joy? Sadly, the truth is that most Americans are terribly stressed out. Yeah, many of them may be able to manage to come up with a smile when they greet you, but most of the time they are consumed by internal struggles that are eating away at them like cancer.
So why is this happening? Is modern life structured in a way that is fundamentally unhealthy?
Below I have posted a short excerpt from a message that one of Charles Hugh Smith’s readers named Kenneth Daigle recently sent to him. I think that it does a good job of describing the incredible stress that many people contend with on a daily basis…
Think about how our culture is now structured for the average adult: STRESS, everywhere you look–commuting in horrible traffic, as you want to scream in frustration–money stress, to pay rent/house note, tuition, utilities, gas, insurances, vacations, cable bill, rising food costs, and on and on and on–stress from family problems, divorce, delinquency, drugs, crime, infidelity, keeping up with the Jones, etc.
People have too high an expectation of what they should have out of life, and get overly stressed over it all. How does all of this manifest itself? A prescription drug culture (Zoloft, Xanax, etc.) that tricks people into thinking a pill will knock back the stress, when these drugs, in my opinion, only make things worse.
I am hearing more and more that people just want to drop out from it all, as they are reaching a breaking point, and have decided less income and dependency on entitlements will reduce their stress, and is not so humiliating, so giving up working becomes more acceptable, to KEEP ONE’S SANITY.
I know I am correct, from the feedback I hear every day, and the financial media does not see this like I hear it every day. People don’t want to admit that they are too weak to deal with stress, so the financial pundits are not aware of this critical factor because they don’t talk to Joe Sixpack.
Most Americans live lives of “quiet desperation” that are punctuated by moments of great crisis. We spend our prime years working for others (making them rich) in order to pay off debts that we have foolishly accumulated (thus making the banks even wealthier). When most Americans reach the end of their lives, they look back and wonder what they actually accomplished.
James Altucher published an incredible article the other day entitled “Why Do People Hate Their Jobs?“ It did a great job of describing what life is like for the modern worker in America. The following are a few of the reasons that he says people tend to hate their jobs…
-Jobs are modern-day slavery. We are paid just enough to live and not more. You are punished if you ask for more.
*****
-We are often verbally abused on the job and we take it because we think it’s normal that people would yell at us.
*****
-The government gets up to 50% of your paycheck and then 10-20% of that goes to kill people on other parts of the planet, including our own children.
*****
-From 7am to 7pm you are either A) going to work, B) at work, or C) coming back from work. Hence, the times when you can be most creative are garbage-compacted into your cubicle.
*****
-When you are paranoid at a job, you are probably correct. THEY are, in fact, talking about you and backstabbing you right now.
*****
-You realize that all the dollars you spent on degrees to get you a job that will make you happy were completely wasted. You were scammed but you can’t let the next generation know how stupid you were so now you become part of perpetuating the scam.
*****
-Your spouse is tired of hearing about your job after six months. And you couldn’t care less about hers. Ten years later you wake up next to a total stranger. 40 years later you die next to one.
*****
-When you were a kid you liked to draw, and read, and run, and laugh, and play, and imagine a magical world. You’re never going to do any of that again.
*****
-Over time everyone is getting fired and being replaced by younger, cheaper, more temporary, more robotic, versions of you. You see this but are afraid to do anything about it.
And of course when we get home from work there is even more stress. In America today, we are witnessing a breakdown of the family unlike anything we have ever seen before. The United States leads the world in divorce and in single person households. We are having an increasingly difficult time relating to one another, and many of us drown our sorrows in our addictions. We are addicted to pills, to alcohol, to food, to entertainment, to sex, to gambling, to shopping and to anything else that will make us feel good and forget about our problems for a while.
The following is a collection of facts and statistics that prove that America is being absolutely consumed by fear, stress, anger and depression…
-The percentage of women taking antidepressants in the U.S. is higher than in any other country in the world.
-In 2010, the average teen in the U.S. was taking 1.2 central nervous system drugs. Those are the kinds of drugs which treat conditions such as ADHD and depression.
-Children in the United States are three times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants as children in Europe are.
-Tens of millions of Americans use alcohol and drugs to numb the pain that they are experiencing. In the United States today, there are about 28 million Americans with a drinking problem and about 22 million Americans use illegal drugs.
-More people have been diagnosed with mental disorders in America than anywhere else on earth.
-There are also tens of millions of Americans that try to deal with anxiety and stress by eating. Of all the major industrialized nations, America is the most obese. Mexico is #2.
-Back in 1962, only 13 percent of all Americans were obese. Today, approximately 36 percent of all Americans are obese.
-Many people try to escape from the pain of reality by getting lost in entertainment. Incredibly, the United States is tied with the UK for the highest average number of hours spent watching television each week.
-The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world by a good margin.
-The United States has the highest percentage of one-person households on the entire planet.
-According to the Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of all American adults are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all adults in the United States were married.
Fear is one of the primary things that motivates the American people, and that is a very powerful weapon that can be used against us.
As I wrote about yesterday, those that commit acts of terror want to get attention and they want to create fear.
And that is exactly what the Boston Marathon bombing accomplished. It captured the attention of the nation for days on end, and it absolutely paralyzed the entire Boston area with fear.
When we allow ourselves to be terrorized, we actually encourage more terror attacks. When we give terrorists what they want, it just encourages more psychos to commit acts of terror. If you don’t believe me, just check out the following links that I found posted on The Drudge Report on Monday…
The appropriate response to a terror attack is to refuse to be terrorized. Yes, we should also work to expose and punish the individuals, organizations and governments that are behind terror. But we should also not let terror change how we live our lives, and we should definitely not allow terror to be used as an excuse to rip our liberties and freedoms away.
Sadly, as Ron Paul has detailed, some of our politicians are already calling for “tighter security” in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing…
Sadly, I expect this week’s tragic attacks in Boston to be used to justify new restrictions on liberty. Within 48 hours of the attack in Boston, at least one Congressman was calling for increased use of surveillance cameras to expand the government’s ability to monitor our actions, while another Senator called for a federal law mandating background checks before Americans can buy “explosive powder.”
I would not be surprised if the Transportation Security Administration uses this tragedy to claim new authority to “screen” Americans before they can attend sporting or other public events. The Boston attack may also be used as another justification for creating a National ID Card tied to a federal database with “biometric” information. The only thing that will stop them is if the American people rediscover the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin that you cannot achieve security by allowing government to take their liberties.
But no matter how much liberty and freedom we give up, we will never be 100% safe. Bad people are always going to do bad things, and unfortunately we are probably going to see some pretty nightmarish things in the years ahead as the world becomes even more unstable.
If we allow the bad guys to get us so frightened that we throw out the U.S. Constitution and abandon our liberties and our freedoms, then we are the ones who lose.
Yes, the years ahead are going to be tough. The economic collapse is going to accelerate greatly, there will be tremendous natural disasters, there will be war in the Middle East and there will be other problems that we cannot even conceive of right now. At the same time, the American people will continue to become even angrier and even more frustrated. According to a recent Pew Research survey, the percentage of Americans with a favorable view of the federal government is now at an all-time low. As the economy crumbles, there will likely be great civil unrest as people demand solutions. Unfortunately, our problems took decades to develop and they will not be solved overnight even if we did have good people in office.
So why am I saying all of this?
And why am I constantly warning about the coming economic collapse?
Is it because I want to create fear?
No, just the opposite of that.
I am a watchman on the wall.
In ancient times, a watchman would warn the people when the enemy was approaching.
When you receive the warning, there are a few different ways that you can respond to it…
#1 You can become consumed with fear and run away from the enemy. Unfortunately, cowards never get the victory in the end.
#2 You can dismiss the warning and pretend that the enemy is not approaching. But then when the enemy comes you will be completely unprepared.
#3 You can do everything possible to get prepared to face the enemy that is coming with strength and courage.
And that is how I would encourage all of you to approach the coming economic collapse and the other great problems that we will soon be experiencing as a nation.
Do not be afraid.
Instead, be strong and courageous and prepare well for the storms that are coming.
When you think of catnip (Nepeta cataria), you may picture a kitty rolling around in a blissful, abnormal state. But this plant is so much more than a cat’s version of cannabis – it’s a powerful healer for humans too. And because it’s part of the Lamiaceae (mint) family, it’s exceptionally easy to grow!
Also known as catswort, catmint, and sometimes called catnep, catnip is native to Europe and parts of Asia, but is now grown all over the globe. The plant looks similar to other mints, with bright green and coarse-toothed leaves. The flowers of the catnip plant tend to be white with pale purple or pink spots.
History and Lore of Catnip
Before the arrival of Chinese teas, Europeans often used catnip to make their favorite decoctions. Historically, it wasn’t only cats who got a sort of buzz from the plant, it was documented that people too experienced interesting moods when eating catnip. In one story, it is said that an executioner self-medicated with the herb in order to give himself the courage needed to carry out his daily hangings.
The healing properties of the plant have long been recognized as well—being used as everything from a sedative for children to seemingly contradictory use as a energy-enhancing herb for adults.
Medicinal Uses of Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Though there are varying accounts of how catnip can be used to influence moods, it’s largely recognized as more of a relaxant than a stimulant. Catnip tea is said to help reduce stress and promote sleep.
The essential oil of catnip includes something called nepetalactone, which is credited with many of its benefits. The plant is said to offer anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial and antiviral benefits.
Some of the most prominent research on catnip is related to its use as an insect repellant. Cockroaches, mosquitoes, and flies are said to be repelled by nepetalactone, present in its oils. Iowa State University researchers found it to be 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitos than DEET (commonly used in traditional bug sprays). It was 100 times more effective at repelling cockroaches There is similar evidence that it can effectively kill flies.
Like other mints, such as peppermint, catnip is fairly easy to grow. But, also like other mints, it will grow and grow and grow, taking over the area if allowed. For this reason, it might be best to use a pot for planting your catnip.
You can start growing it from seed indoors in the springtime, moving it outside when temperatures get warm. Alternately, you can keep it indoors for year-round growing as long as you have a window that gets six good hours of sunlight each day.
Outside, they like a lot of light, so keep that in mind when deciding where to place them. To ensure optimal growth and overall health of the plant, keep it evenly moist throughout the summer.
Not surprisingly, neighborhood cats may be drawn to the catnip, so cover it if you don’t want them rubbing on it, rolling in it, or chewing on it. However, if you don’t mind a sort-of feline lounge environment, grow some just for the kitties.
Trim back the flowers to encourage a full, healthy plant with lots of new growth.
Harvesting and Use
Harvest catnip as needed, trimming a stem down to the base or right above a leaf joint to facilitate more growth. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, though air-drying is the best method if you want to preserve your catnip.
A tea is the most common way to get the benefits of catnip. Use 1 to 2 tsp. of dried catnip leaves (more if using fresh) per cup of boiled water. Allow to steep for 10 minutes before enjoying.
by Christina Sarich
by Elizabeth Renter
Over 70% of the foods on the Canadian shelves contain GMO foods. The main ones are corn, soy, oil from canola and cottonseed, sugar from sugar beets, and a small amount of zucchini and crook neck squash. Livestock feeds are GMO too so it’s having an effect on the animals we eat.
An organic banana will. have the PLU 94011. All organic produce has a 5 digit PLU code that always starts with the number 9.
by Ethan A. Huff
Here’s something I never thought we’d hear in this lifetime:
Many of us do not have to be “sold” on 
In a 
by Michael Snyder
by Elizabeth Renter
Harvest catnip as needed, trimming a stem down to the base or right above a leaf joint to facilitate more growth. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, though air-drying is the best method if you want to preserve your catnip.
