Showing posts with label pesticides. Show all posts

Herbicide and Pesticide Exposure Linked to Parkinson's Disease

A recent study from UCLA has confirmed that exposure to the herbicide Paraquat is linked with a heightened risk of Parkinson's disease. This combines with other research that has found other chemicals used on our foods and landscapes significantly increase the risk of Parkinson's.
The researchers, from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, studied 357 Parkinson's disease cases along with 754 control subjects - adults from Central California. The researchers determined increased exposure to the herbicide Paraquat through geographic mapping linking their home locations to agricultural use of the chemical on farms. Those living closer to farms that sprayed the herbicide were found to have a 36% increased risk of Parkinson's.

However, those who experienced a head injury combined with increased Paraquat exposure tripled their chances of having Parkinson's disease.

Researchers from Mexico's Unidad de Medicina Familiar also studied cases of Parkinson's together with exposure to the herbicide Paraquat among Mexican workers. They also found a positive association between exposure to this chemical and Parkinson's disease.
Paraquat is N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride.

Learn safe detoxification methods.

A study published last year from the Louvain Center for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology of Brussels' Catholic University of Louvain concluded that pesticide exposure was also significantly linked to Parkinson's. Here the researchers analyzed and calculated the data from twelve peer-reviewed clinical studies that investigated Parkinson's disease together with pesticide exposure. They collected research conducted between 1985 and 2011.

The meta-analysis found that all twelve studies individually and collectively established a link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease.

After calculating meta-data ratios and relative risk, the researchers found that Parkinson's disease incidence as diagnosed by a neurologist was more than two-and-a-half times for those exposed to more pesticides compared to those less exposed. Other risk calculations showed the increased incidence of Parkinson's disease to range from nearly double to 28% - which was the average of all cases studied.

But when the research focused upon farm workers involved in the growing of bananas, pineapples or sugarcane, the incidence of Parkinson's disease more than doubled that of lower-exposure individuals.

The researchers concluded:

The present study provides some support for the hypothesis that occupational exposure to pesticides increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Since this review study came out, other studies have investigated some of the worst pesticides, and the mechanisms by which they produce Parkinson's disease.

A study from Korea's Yonsei University studied the broad spectrum pesticide Rotenone – and how it damages nerve cells and pathways. The researchers found that Rotenone induces cell death in a process called with G2/M cell cycle arrest. G2/M cell cycle arrest blocks the process of mitosis that enables cells and their DNA to replicate – and more importantly among nerve cells - repair any DNA damage. Thus the insecticide basically blocks the ability of the nerve cell to repair itself – lending to the cells eventually dying off or mutating.

Meanwhile, researchers from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine found that the fungicide Benomyl will block multiple cell processes. One of these blocks the production of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). This increases the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, which produces degeneration among neurons associated with the production of dopamine. One of the central dopamine-producing centers exists in the brain – the substantia nigra located within the midbrain.

When the nerve cells located in this region die off or become otherwise deranged, they stop producing dopamine and other neurotransmitters that help control coordination and movement throughout the body. A lack of these neurotransmitters will produce the shakiness and eventual loss of coordination characteristic amongst progressed Parkinson's patients.
Is eating non-organic food worth risking the health of not only our children and family? Is it worth risking the health of farm workers who are exposed to these toxic chemicals every day? And what about spraying pesticides and herbicides around the house?

Written by Case Adams, Naturopath

References

Ryu HW, Oh WK, Jang IS, Park J. Amurensin G induces autophagy and attenuates cellular toxicities in a rotenone model of Parkinson's disease. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013 Mar 29;433(1):121-6.
Mostafalou S, Abdollahi M. Pesticides and human chronic diseases: evidences, mechanisms, and perspectives. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2013 Apr 15;268(2):157-77.
León-Verastegui AG. Parkinson's disease due to laboral exposition to paraquat. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2012 Nov-Dec;50(6):665-72.
Fitzmaurice AG, Rhodes SL, Lulla A, Murphy NP, Lam HA, O'Donnell KC, Barnhill L, Casida JE, Cockburn M, Sagasti A, Stahl MC, Maidment NT, Ritz B, Bronstein JM. Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition as a pathogenic mechanism in Parkinson disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jan 8;110(2):636-41.
Pan-Montojo F, Schwarz M, Winkler C, Arnhold M, O'Sullivan GA, Pal A, Said J, Marsico G, Verbavatz JM, Rodrigo-Angulo M, Gille G, Funk RH, Reichmann H. Environmental toxins trigger PD-like progression via increased alpha-synuclein release from enteric neurons in mice. Sci Rep. 2012;2:898.
Lee PC, Bordelon Y, Bronstein J, Ritz B. Traumatic brain injury, paraquat exposure, and their relationship to Parkinson disease. Neurology. 2012 Nov 13;79(20):2061-6.
Van Maele-Fabry G, Hoet P, Vilain F, Lison D. Occupational exposure to pesticides and Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Environ Int. 2012 Oct 1;46:30-43.
Lundius EG, Stroth N, Vukojević V, Terenius L, Svenningsson P. Functional GPR37 trafficking protects against toxicity induced by 6-OHDA, MPP+ or rotenone in a catecholaminergic cell line. J Neurochem. 2013 Feb;124(3):410-7.

Source: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/herbicide-and-pesticide-exposure-linked-parkinsons-disease-0

The Harmful Consequences of Pesticides

Mao Zedong (Former Dictator of China) before his death in 1976 decided that the plague of sparrows was putting a large dent in grain production, so in the kind of short sighted, ill conceived wisdom that's apparently shared by Chinese dictators and American corporate agricultural CEOs Mao called for the elimination of sparrows.

The killing of the sparrows released a swarm of insects, a problem that effected agriculture much more than the damage done by the birds. So massive spraying programs were instituted giving birth to the pesticide industry. Watch this video to find out more:

Toxic Pesticides from GMO Food Found in Unborn Babies

Jonathan Cho | Natural News

Medical researchers at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec found that toxic pesticides used on genetically modified crops and animal feed entered and remained in the bodies of pregnant women and fed into their unborn babies through the umbilical cord.

Among the sample of pregnant women in the study, 93% tested positive for the pesticides, and 80% tested positive for them in their umbilical cords. The source of these pesticide residues were determined to be diet, specifically the consumption of conventionally-grown grains, fruits and vegetables, along with meat from livestock fed genetically modified, conventionally-grown feed.

While the researchers did not make definite conclusions about the health consequences of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and pesticide residue on the women and their babies, GMOs and pesticides have been linked to a plethora of often severe side effects, including birth defects, miscarriages, endocrine system disruptions, allergies, tumors, and cancer. A study involving the effects of GMO food on rats produced rats with tumors large enough to deform their bodies, visible here, in addition to severe organ damage and premature death.

Sources:
blogs.naturalnews.com

naturalnews.com

telegraph.co.uk

Why Monsanto's Roudup is the Most Toxic Chemical in the Environment

Rhonda Burns | GreenMedInfo.com

When one of our world renowned professors uses the term "horrifying" in speaking about the widespread use of a chemical in our food supply, the prudent person would sit up and take notice.

That's exactly the word Dr. Don Huber used. But are we listening? Calling glyphosate "the most toxic chemical we've ever had in our environment, he says that "future historians may well look back upon our time and write, not about how many pounds of pesticides we did or did not apply, but about how willing we were to sacrifice our children and jeopardize future generations for the massive experiment we call genetic engineering that is based on failed promises and flawed science, just to benefit the bottom line of a commercial enterprise."

Dr. Don Huber

In a lecture at the FAMU Center for Viticulture in Tallahassee, Florida, Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, shared his 55 years of experience working with agriculture management practices here in the U.S. and around the world.

One only has to look at the graphs (Dr. Nancy Swanson) which clearly depict a rise in modern disease that mirrors the use of glyphosate in our agriculture system to see the correlation. In addition to the rising rates of cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes, bowel disorders, intestinal infections, dementia, liver and kidney disease, by the year 2025 it is predicted that the autism rate for children will be 1 out of every 2 children born.

Horrifying is indeed the right descriptive.

Glyphosate and Autism

Contrary to the common claim of safety, a large volume of peer-reviewed scientific information clearly demonstrates that genetically engineered products and the Roundup herbicide that 85% of those products were engineered to tolerate are chronically toxic to human and animal tissues and lead to cancer, premature death, kidney and liver failure, blood disorders and a host of other diseases including Morgellan's Disease which was nonexistent prior to the use of glyphosate.

According Dr. Ron Huber, medical data indicates that millions of children and adults are suffering from the chronically toxic GMO products or the glyphosate (Roundup) these plants accumulate. He also stated that MIT scientists documented the biochemical disruption caused by genetic engineering, concluding that glyphosate is the most chronically toxic chemical in our environment. [see study here]

Glyphosate was made in 1964 as a strong metal chelator. In 1970, it was patented as a herbicide. In 2000, it was patented as an antibiotic. 85% of our genetically engineered crops are engineered in order to accept RoundUp herbicide with glyphosate as its primary agent.

The irony is that the promise of higher yield, lower cost crops are empty promises. Reduced root growth, lower nutrient density, greater stress susceptibility and the need for more pesticides are well documented. Sugar beets, for example, require 4X more fungicide after using glyphosate. Soybeans require 2X more water to grow. The crops grown are weaker, more susceptible to disease. It is estimated that if not for federal subsidies (crop insurance) last year, 20% of American farmers would have been bankrupt.

The potential economic impact is devastating on many levels. In two years, we may not have any market for our soybeans in China. The number one reason our exports are rejected today is excessive glyphosate. The number of countries around the world who are refusing to buy our exports is steadily growing.

While 65 countries around the world currently will not accept our GMO crops due to safety concerns, our own country has no such system in place. Instead, States are fighting one by one to at least have labeling laws in place for their citizens.

Here in Florida, Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasalinda (Dem) filed the first bill of the 2014 session, House Bill 1, on August 15, 2013 concerning labeling genetically engineered foods (link here). Representative Kathleen Peters (Rep) from the Pinellas County, Florida, is co-sponsoring the bill.

Representative Vasalinda was on hand at Dr. Huber's lecture and stressed the importance of letting our elected officials know how we feel about this issue. She said that it was due to the 1,500+ petitions she received that she even tackled the issue of GMO labeling. Our voices do count, but we have to speak up.

Source: GreenMedInfo.com

The Top 10 Toxins that are Poisoning Our Kids

Dr. Brent Hunter | Natural News

Image: naturalnews.com

From BPA, MSG, pesticides, environmental chemicals, household cleaners, toxins in vaccines and prescription drugs, our children are exposed to a huge amount of toxic chemicals. Toxins are everywhere in our modern society. They are damaging your child’s health and causing disease. How can you get these chemicals out of your children’s bodies and protect them? The first step is to understand where they are coming from. Then you can eliminate them and incorporate a healthy lifestyle that naturally detoxes your child’s body.

This article is Part 1 of 2 addressing the issue of toxicity in our children and what to do to detox them. It is not necessarily easy to rid your kid’s bodies of years of these stored toxins but it is possible. In part 2, we will discuss specific strategies and tips for detoxing.

Toxins and Childhood Health

The problem of toxic exposure has only increased year by year. My readers of more advanced years will remember a time when children were generally healthy and active. Today, however, there are more children who are sick and taking prescription drugs than there are healthy children. Certainly, there are many factors that contribute to this but the extreme exposure to toxins is a huge factor that you can control.

Nearly 12 million children in the United States under age 18 suffer from one or more learning, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.(1) We have seen ridiculous increases in the incidence of autism, ADHD and cancer in children. Consider these facts:

Autism rates were 1 in 150 in 2000. By 2008, the rate had increased to 1 in 88.(2)
From 2001 to 2010, the rate of ADHD diagnosis increased 25%.(3)
Cancer is now the leading cause of death by disease in children under age 15.(4)

My Experience with Toxicity in my Own Child

When my son was born, the doctors felt that my wife had an infection in the birth canal. If that were the case, it could be transferred to my son during delivery and cause harm to him. However, the only way to confirm the infection is a bacterial culture that takes three days to grow. As a result, my son was placed on ‘precautionary’, heavy doses of three different I.V. antibiotics for three days.

Well, three days later, the cultures came back negative – my son never had a bacterial infection at all. However, the three days of heavy antibiotics were not without effect. As a result of the antibiotics, my son is profoundly deaf. There is nothing I can do to restore his hearing. However, the experience that we gained over the last five years dealing with his deafness have been amazing. In fact, my wife and I write about those experiences at this blog: Seeing Life Differently.

Additionally, the antibiotics wreaked major havoc on his digestion system. It took at least three months to detox him from the antibiotics and restore his normal digestive functions. He endured a lot of discomfort and pain for three months all due to three days of antibiotic treatment.

He is now one of the healthiest, non-toxic kids I know. Since that incident at birth, he has never had need of any prescription drugs, including antibiotics.

He attends the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind - a public school serving Deaf and Blind children in all of Florida. Many of the children at this wonderful school live in dorms Monday through Friday. The school has a great medical clinic/health center right on campus.

On registration day, all the parents have to also check in with the health center. It was amazing to me how many of the parents - nearly all - checked in prescription drugs for their children’s chronic health conditions! Toxicity from prescription drugs alone is a huge problem for our children.

It seemed like we waited forever in the line for the health center. We simply had to let them know that he has no drugs, remind them of his vaccine exemption, and sign a health services form.

I thank God everyday for my child’s great health. It is not that he has great genes. It is that we have formed a lifestyle for him that produces great health. This is no easy task as a parent, for sure. But it is possible, even for picky eaters like my son and every other five year old kid!

Children and Toxins

The fact is that children are exposed the same chemical toxins as adults. However, children are more vulnerable to toxins than adults for several reasons.

Their bodies are still growing
Pound for pound children drink more water/juices, eat more food and breathe more air than the average adult which increases their exposure to toxins
The typical child receives 50+ toxin-laden vaccines before age 6(5)

Here are the top 10 toxins that our children are exposed to regularly:

Mercury Fillings. The mercury in these fillings is slowly leached into your kid’s body everyday which causes long term neurological damage. This mercury exposure is made even worse by the other sources your child is exposed to from vaccines and other drugs.

Toxins in Vaccines. Vaccines are not as safe as you may have been led to believe. I do not intend to discuss the validity of vaccines in this post. I would refer you to NVIC and Vactruth.com for a full discussion of this important issue. However, please do educate yourself fully before deciding which vaccines and how many vaccines to give to your child. Regardless of your vaccine decision, they are filled with toxic chemicals that damage your child’s health and cause disease. Here are just some of the common vaccine ingredients – posted on the CDC website(6) - that may shock you:

Formaldehyde – also used to preserve dead things

Mercury (thimerosal), especially in flu vaccines

Aluminum – highly associated with alzheimer’s disease

GMO yeast

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Antibiotics (neomycin, streptomycin)

Human cells from aborted fetal tissue

Cells from pig and horse blood

Monkey kidney cells

Calf serum protein

Chicken embryo cells

Egg Protein extracts

Soy Protein extracts

Ammonium Sulfate

Prescription Drugs. I discussed the problem with antibiotics that my child experienced. That was only scratching the surface. Prescription drugs are all toxic and inherently dangerous. ADHD drugs are especially dangerous and toxic. They belong to a class of drugs called amphetamines and are similar to street drugs like meth and speed. No parent would even consider handing their child meth. However, when a doctor gives you a prescription for a legal version of the same thing, unfortunately, most parents don’t even think twice about giving it to their kids every day. Even worse, more and more kids are being prescribed antidepressant drugs as well with devastating effects.

MSG in foods and personal care products. MSG is everywhere. It is very toxic and results in many health problems. Read How to Avoid Being Secretly Poisoned by MSG to learn more about this important issue.

Toxins in processed foods and fast foods. Have you thought about the amount of synthetic chemicals, preservatives, nitrates and artificial colors and flavors in the hot dog that you give your child for lunch? These chemicals are used in all processed and fast foods and are a constant source of toxicity.

Toxins in Laundry products. These products may smell nice, however, the chemicals that create that fragrance are cancer-causing toxins. They are absorbed by your clothing and then absorbed through your skin and into your body.

Toxins in shampoo and personal care products (soap, deodorant, toothpaste, etc). Have you read the back of your shampoo or body wash bottle lately? Chances are that you will not recognize 99% of the ingredients. Neither will your body when they are absorbed through your skin.

Toxins in household cleaning products. Window cleaners state on the bottle that they are harmful or fatal if swallowed. Bleach will certainly cause grave danger if ingested. Though we don’t drink them, these chemicals are absorbed into our bodies by inhalation or through our skin.

Pesticides in the home, food, and environment. We use pesticides in the home that get into our bodies by inhalation or accidental skin exposure. We consume produce and meat that contain ridiculous levels of pesticides.

Soda pop. Both – depending on where you live – soda (and) pop contain high amounts of phosphoric acid which literally dissolves your child’s teeth and leads to softening of the bones as well. Not to mention the high fructose corn syrup causing toxicity, obesity and diabetes.

If you stop to think about all of these items, it becomes abundantly clear that our children (and you) are toxic! What can you do? How do you get rid of these toxins? We will discuss that in part 2 of this series. Look for it tomorrow.

The information in this article and the next (part 2) have been presented as a result of a question from a Wellness Achiever Newsletter subscriber. Be sure to subscribe for the latest updates from Wellness Achiever. You will also periodically have the opportunity to ask your questions about health and wellness and have them answered here. Visit WellnessAchiever.net and you will see a box near the top, right side of this article to enter your email address.

Question: What surprises you most about these statistics on childhood diseases? What about the sources of toxicity? You can leave your comment below.

Source: naturalnews.com

Resources for this article:

(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-gavigan/toxins-impair-childrens-n_b_458935.html

(2) http://www.naturalnews.com/035452_autism_vaccinations_children.html

(3) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130121161923.htm

(4) http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/childhood

(5) http://www.nvic.org/downloads/49-doses-posterb.aspx

(6) http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf

Bees Have Been Trained To Sniff Out Cancer in Humans

Images: Susana Soares

Portuguese designer Susana Soares has developed a device for detecting cancer and other serious diseases using trained bees. The bees are placed in a glass chamber into which the patient exhales; the bees fly into a smaller secondary chamber if they detect cancer.

Scientists have found that honey bees - Apis mellifera - have an extraordinary sense of smell that is more acute than that of a sniffer dog and can detect airborne molecules in the parts-per-trillion range.

Bees can be trained to detect specific chemical odours, including the biomarkers associated with diseases such as tuberculosis, lung, skin and pancreatic cancer.

Source: likecool.com

How to Detox Your Body From GMOs and Pesticides

Detoxing can be hard on your body and cause a wide variety of alarming side effects. After all, the substances being removed are usually pretty horrible, consisting of toxic chemicals from pesticide residues, by-products of GMO foods, pharmaceutical drugs, chemotherapy residue, free-radicals, heavy metals, aluminum, radiation.

Image: consciouslifenews.com

There are numerous detoxing agents and methods available — some more costly than others — and some producing very intense experiences with potentially dangerous side effects. We advise choosing a more natural method.

However, there are several ways to remove these noxious substances gently, with kindness to your system. These techniques may take a bit longer to achieve completion that some the harsher detox programs; however, if you take your time one or more of these natural methods should work for you.

Pectin

Fruit pectin is probably the most gentle method of detoxing contaminants. Pectin comes from the fibrous portion of the fruit and is most commonly found in the pith of limes, lemons and other citrus fruit as well as in apples. Other sources of pectin are bananas, grapes, carrots, and cabbage. Pectin helps to release heavy metals, chemicals and other substances into the blood stream, where it binds to them and flushes them from the body. Simply eating fruit high in pectin will help to cleanse your system, or you can add a pectin product to a glass of water, organic grape juice or fresh veggie juice to speed the detox process. Beware of pectin sold in grocery stores, as some brands may contain MSG. Check health food stores for the best products.

Cilantro

The delicious culinary herb cilantro, happens to be one of the most effective and gentle detoxifiers of mercury, heavy metals and other toxic contaminants. You can buy cilantro juice at health food stores or simply include the fresh herb in your diet as pesto or seasoning to control the amount consumed and limit unwanted side effects. It’s inexpensive and works without the addition of man-made chemicals. Cilantro also possesses antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, quickly reducing infection and inflammation as it works to clear your system.
Detoxing can be hard on your body and cause a wide variety of alarming side effects. After all, the substances being removed are usually pretty horrible, consisting of toxic chemicals from pesticide residues, by-products of GMO foods, pharmaceutical drugs, chemotherapy residue, free-radicals, heavy metals, aluminum, radiation.

There are numerous detoxing agents and methods available — some more costly than others — and some producing very intense experiences with potentially dangerous side effects. We advise choosing a more natural method.

However, there are several ways to remove these noxious substances gently, with kindness to your system. These techniques may take a bit longer to achieve completion that some the harsher detox programs; however, if you take your time one or more of these natural methods should work for you.

Pectin

Fruit pectin is probably the most gentle method of detoxing contaminants. Pectin comes from the fibrous portion of the fruit and is most commonly found in the pith of limes, lemons and other citrus fruit as well as in apples. Other sources of pectin are bananas, grapes, carrots, and cabbage. Pectin helps to release heavy metals, chemicals and other substances into the blood stream, where it binds to them and flushes them from the body. Simply eating fruit high in pectin will help to cleanse your system, or you can add a pectin product to a glass of water, organic grape juice or fresh veggie juice to speed the detox process. Beware of pectin sold in grocery stores, as some brands may contain MSG. Check health food stores for the best products.

Cilantro

The delicious culinary herb cilantro, happens to be one of the most effective and gentle detoxifiers of mercury, heavy metals and other toxic contaminants. You can buy cilantro juice at health food stores or simply include the fresh herb in your diet as pesto or seasoning to control the amount consumed and limit unwanted side effects. It’s inexpensive and works without the addition of man-made chemicals. Cilantro also possesses antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, quickly reducing infection and inflammation as it works to clear your system.

Chlorella

Chlorella is a single cell algae sea vegetable that grows in fresh water. Some of the best cholrella reserves have come from Japan; however, use caution when buying Japanese chlorella due to possible exposure to radiation from Fukushima. Chlorella is an easy-to-digest superfood best known for being able to remove mercury and other heavy metals from the cells. Too much chlorella can produce side effects — mostly in the digestive tract — where it works best to bind to mercury, eliminating it. Start with the lowest quantity and work up slowly for a gentle detox.

Wheatgrass

Juicing fresh produce and grasses such as wheat or barley grass provides an excellent way to remove toxins from the system. Wheatgrass is high in nutritional content, and provides vitamins, minerals and all nine essential amino acids. Wheatgrass can be a powerful detox, so start slowly with only a small amount of juice to keep it gentle — 1/2 ounce a day — and work up to avoid symptoms.

Using gentle detoxing products requires that you repeat treatments over a period of time until all symptoms have cleared. Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, muscle aches and pains, dizziness and fatigue. Additionally, detoxing can cause a flare-up in your condition temporarily. It’s just the toxins leaving your system and should pass shortly. If side effects are severe, reduce the quantity of whatever you’re using to detox. If the symptoms continue, stop and consult your natural health practitioner for further instructions.

Source: Natural News

Why Organic Food Is Better For You Than Conventional

Martina Schlaucher | holistichealthandme.com

Many consumers have started to become curious of the differences between Organic Food and Conventional Food products, and for good reason. There seems to be a lot of talk going on these days about which are better and WHY… So, let’s explore, shall we?…

When comparing the food labels of similar products where one is labeled “organic” and the other is conventional, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference. This of course, raises the question of what allows companies to sell organic products as “better” and also sell them at a higher price.

Image: annewatson photography

First, it should be explained, what “organic” really stands for and what it means to the consumer…

The USDA National Organic Program Consumer Brochure reads:

“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.
Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.

Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.
Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.

Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Even though the ingredient list of conventional products may appear to be the similar to organic products, the biggest difference shows in the way the ingredients are grown, harvested and processed.

In a 2002 Data Collection of Pesticide Residues in Conventional and Organic Food, the following statistics were concluded:

Conventionally grown samples had multiple residues in 46%, 12% and 62% of USDA, DPR and CU samples, respectively.
Organic samples had multiple residues in only 7%, 1.3% and 6% percent of the samples in those three data sets.

According to this research alone, there seems to be quite a difference in pesticide residue between conventional and organic products! This can be enough reason to favor organic over conventional, right?
What educated consumers can do, is to study the list of the “dirty dozen” and buy conventional foods with the least amount of pesticide residue. When deciding to buy Organic and locally grown products, consumers will automatically help promote sustainability and local farming. Urban Farming is powerful and productive choice this day and age! What is your family eating, Organic or Conventional Food?

Source: holistichealthandme.com

USDA Ignores Farmers' Concerns, OK's New Genetically Modified Seed

Image: farmwars.info

Even though the new GM alfalfa crop will contaminate organic crops, the government says it's safe.

In an action long expected, the USDA approved commercial production of genetically modified alfalfa.

The announcement makes it clear that USDA did not do this lightly. The agency was well aware of the concerns of organic farmers that GM alfalfa could—and will—contaminate their fields.

Secretary Vilsack said:

"After conducting a thorough and transparent examination of alfalfa through a multi-alternative environmental impact statement (EIS) and several public comment opportunities, APHIS has determined that Roundup Ready alfalfa is as safe as traditionally bred alfalfa…All of the alfalfa production stakeholders involved in this issue have stressed their willingness to work together to find solutions.

…USDA brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss feasible strategies for coexistence between genetically engineered (GE), organic, and other non-GE stakeholders.

…In response to the request for support from its stakeholders, USDA is taking a number of steps, including:

Reestablishing two important USDA advisory committees – Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture, and the National Genetic Resources Advisory Committee.
Conducting research into areas such as ensuring the genetic integrity, production and preservation of alfalfa seeds entrusted to the germplasm system;
Refining and extending current models of gene flow in alfalfa;
Requesting proposals through the Small Business Innovation Research program to improve handling of forage seeds and detection of transgenes in alfalfa seeds and hay, and
Providing voluntary, third-party audits and verification of industry-led stewardship initiatives."

USDA seems to think it has brokered “peaceful coexistence” (see previous post). Skeptics, take note.

The USDA is providing more information about this decision online . It also has issued a Q and A. Here’s the Federal Register notice.

Source: thedailygreen.com

What Would Your Thanksgiving Dinner Look Like Without Bees?

Image: msn.com/

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, there are many things to be thankful for, including honey bees! Honey bees play a very large role in our daily lives.

Historical beekeeping
In the 1600’s, Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving. Did you know that honey bees were originally brought to the United States by Pilgrims? Records indicate the first hive of bees was shipped from England and arrived in Virginia in 1622. These bees would have been very helpful to early settlers because of their pollination services. When bees pollinate, they fertilize plants. These fertilized plants will then produce fruits and vegetables. These foods would have been very important to the Pilgrims. Also, the bees would have produced a wonderful natural sweetener!

Honey bees pollinate much of our food supply
Honey bees are still beneficial to our food supply today. Across the United States, honey bees pollinate over 90 different food crops and about 1/3 of our food – that’s like every third bite! Without bees, many of our favorite Thanksgiving dinner foods would be gone. Do you like cranberry sauce, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie? Without bees, we would have hardly any of these foods. Even the butter for your rolls and whipped cream for your pie would be scarce. Thanksgiving dinner would be pretty boring without honey bees!

Planting bee-friendly flowers provide bees with a food source
Because bees are so important, we must do what we can to help them. Planting bee-friendly flowers, buying honey from beekeepers, and telling about the importance of honey bees are great ways to help! This Thanksgiving, let’s be sure to be thankful for the wonderful gift of bees!

Read our other article about why the bees are dying off: Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought

Source: buzzingacrossamerica.com

Is Organic Food Worth the Extra Money?

Image: www.rmaxinternational.com

It is, but only if you can trust you're actually getting the organic food you pay for. That's why it's a good thing that the USDA is cracking down on certifiers that failed to hold farms to national standards.

On March 2, USDA announced that it was revoking its accreditation of two certifying agencies, Certified Organic, Inc. (COI) and Guaranteed Organic Certification Agency (GOCA).

USDA says COI failed to

communicate with hired inspectors about proper procedures or ensure they were adequately trained;

adhere to internal procedures according to their operational manual;

keep confidentiality agreements on file for all employees with knowledge about certification applicants or operations;

indicate on certificates the effective dates for organic certification;

ensure adequate training for employees about the regulations;

provide clients with cost estimates including inspection fees;

clearly identify the company's responsibility to pay for any required pre- or postharvest testing; and,

verify organic system plans against the actual practices of their certified operations.

GOCA's problems had to do with "persistent noncompliance," including such things as "failure to require clients to use defined boundaries and border zones as required by the organic standards."

Why it Matters

This may all sound absurdly bureaucratic but it means the certifiers could be overlooking producers' violations of organic standards.

You can track down the records of such things on the USDA's website, and see the handful of other such enforcement actions at the National Organic Program's site.

I'd say this is progress. Organic producers are supposed to follow the rules of the National Organic Program, and to be inspected to make sure they do. If the inspectors aren't doing their job diligently, you won't be able to tell whether the organic foods you buy are worth the premium prices.

This is a key point of a recent FoodNavigator story on the market for organics. The U.S. industry is expected to go from $21.1 billion in 2010 to $36.8 billion in 2015. How come? Because of "the government's monetary and regulatory support and increasing acceptance of organic food in the country."

People will pay more for organics if they think the producer is credible. Organics are about credibility. That is why the USDA needs to fiercely enforce organic certification. Doing so protects the industry. The more of this sort of thing, the better.

Source:http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/blogs/healthy-food/organic-food-certification?click=main_sr

Proof that Monsanto is Funding Mainstream GMO Research

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