The U.S. Gov. chases their tails over food poisoning

I realize this is 2 posts in 2 days on the same topic, but if its worthy enough to make headlines two days in a row then its worthy enough for me to comment on.  Especially when it only proves that the U.S. government is simply chasing its tail when it comes to controlling food poisoning.

Today's headline indicating food poising is on the rise in the US is not, nor should it be, shocking news to anyone.  Every month there is at least one headline making mainstream news regarding some sort of food recall over food poisoning or "possible food contamination".

The bigger story here however is not necessarily the number of food poisoning instances but rather how our brainless government agencies continues to police the issue.  Case in point...

Claiming that "Many of the bugs that sicken people live naturally in the digestive systems of animals, including people. Outbreaks of disease have been linked to unclean slaughtering processes and unhygienic meat handling." , which leaves much of the blame on slaughter houses is more of a scapegoat conclusion in an effort to avoid the BIGGER problem... Factory Farming!

Factory farming, CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to be exact, breed disease.  This is where the problem starts; not at the slaughter house where these sick unsanitary animals are brought in droves to be slaughtered and packaged.  With thousands of livestock standing, feeding, sleeping, and defecating in the same fenced in or caged in cramped area, the resulting food poisoning is an unavoidable consequence.  When the skin of cattle is literally caked with crap, teeming with harmful bacteria, as they're sent to the slaughter house, passing this on to the consumer is once again unavoidable.

It really doesn't take a genius to make the connection.  And with government officials blatantly stating the obvious, "Many of the bugs that sicken people live naturally in the digestive systems of animals" without actually addressing this problem only further adds to their ignorance.

It is not a secret that factory farmed animals are fed unhealthy diets typically consisting of GMO grains & soy, rather than what nature intended (pasture and forage).  As with humans, the immune system of an animal resides in the gut, and just as with humans an unhealthy diet that promotes inflammation and disease rather than promoting healthy gut flora can only lead to disaster.  And NO, giving these animals a cocktail of pharmaceuticals with every meal to try and lessen the chance of disease from occurring is NOT the answer!

In fact the answer, just as with humans, starts with a healthy diet.  It's an unavoidable truth.  The only thing an unhealthy diet leads to in both humans and farm animals is profit for those that fund poor diet (chemical companies, pharmaceutical companies, processed food companies) and disease for those consume it!

Flu Shot Update!

The latest numbers are in for the effectiveness of the 2012-2013 influenza vaccine, and the winner is... 

Let's just say if you got the flu shot this season, you were not amongst the winners.

This seasons flu shot had a whopping 9% success rate in preventing the flu for those 65 and older! 

Interesting since this age group (65+) is one of the two groups the CDC highly recommends receiving the vaccine, with the other being children.  And with all of the flu related headlines this winter in the news regarding children being seriously sickened and hospitalized due to the flu virus, I can only imagine that if publicized those numbers would be just as bleak.  Unfortunately the spineless conscious lacking CDC would rather publicly lump-sum the remaining statistics together in order to reveal an overall success of just over 50% (56% to be exact). 

I guess this clearly proves though that with an overall "positive" success rate, the very real risk of Mercury Toxicity as well the deadly possibility of Anaphylaxis due to its ingredients are far outweighed by its life-saving importance... lest you get the flu and wind up in the ER, where ironically enough 91% of those seniors that got the shot evidently wound up.

With "advanced technology" like this, we're doomed!

The latest headline in technology/health news reads, "Sugar needles could carry safe, painless, long-lasting vaccines"... does anyone else see the horror in this?

If there is one thing most people DO NOT need more of, its SUGAR hands down!  So when I see wasted research money being spent on new uses for sugar, I can't help but feel sad and a bit frustrated.  With the ever growing number of those living with a 'sugar consumption in excess' related disease (diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, obesity, chronic inflammatory diseases... ) reaching epidemic levels, both science and medicine need to wake up and smell the inevitable insulin spike!

I think money should be better vested in research detailing sugar's negative health effects.  I think less research money should be spent on the less-than-accurate reported "positive success" data of vaccination usage, and instead shed some light on the ever growing number of truly independent research debunking this dangerous profit driven misleading scientific propaganda. Let's put that money towards a more natural based approach to health and wellness, and stop supporting these giant corporations as they compete for the next big cure regardless of the toll it takes on our health.

Oh that morning cup of... soda?

With the health of this country, the unhealthiest of the wealthiest nations to be exact, in the midst of a perfect storm of diseases affecting the masses in epidemic proportions (Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Disease, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Chronic Inflammatory diseases), to say that the average American makes countless unhealthy dietary decisions per day would be a colossal understatement.  And our addiction to sugar no doubt tops the charts!  This devastatingly poor bill of health can be blamed in part, if not totally, on the staggering amounts of sugar (per person) consumed daily, especially since the advent of high fructose corn-syrup. 

And the biggest offenders?  Soda companies and their many varieties of soft drinks, sports drinks, and juices consumed each year. 

So hearing of PepsiCo's plan to roll out a new soda/energy drink hybrid tailored for those "soda connoisseurs" that are searching for that morning coffee/tea alternative, is depressing and scary to say the least... another nail in the proverbial coffin!

Their selling point?   A lower calorie (compared to all the mocha frappa coffee drinks)... lower caffeine  (compared to all the Red Bull's and 5-hr Energy drinks) alternative, but with that ever so popular Mountain Dew taste. 

Like most "low calorie" or "zero calorie" marketed drinks, manufactures rely on artificial sweeteners to fill that sugary void, but the latest research shows these sugar alternatives may actually be worse for you.  The body is hardwired to expect calories to follow sweet.  So in such cases when a 'no calorie' sweetener like Splenda or aspartame is consumed, the body ironically is not fooled.  And when the body's natural caloric and energy satisfactions are not met, as would be the case following basic glucose consumption, the body seeks more calories.  This in turn leads to weight gain.  Now add that to the fact that these artificial sweeteners, despite lacking sugary calories, still manage to stimulate the release of insulin and what you have is a deadly double whammy!

And as for their "lower in caffeine" claims, it's important to remember that isolated caffeine, unlike the caffeine found naturally in antioxidant rich foods such as organic whole bean coffee and cacao as well as tea, isolated caffeine is extremely unhealthy in any amounts.

So before you reach for that morning can of soda, think long and hard about the unavoidable consequences!

The flu vaccine is profit driven!

I don't see how it can be any more obvious that the flu vaccine, in this country, is for lack of a better word(s) "profit driven propaganda!"  There I said... now what?

Everywhere you turn the flu vaccine campaign is right there smack in your face!  Every grocery store, convenient store, and  drugstore has a table set up.  I've even seen them pushing it at the home improvement stores!

Someone tell me, how the hell does getting the flu shot improve your home?

I've heard of people losing their jobs over it, and kids held out of school because of it.  In fact this morning on the news I saw some kids parents being interviewed for this very reason.  Apparently the vaccine contains egg in some way and this kid is allergic to eggs.  So what do the parents do?  Exactly what you'd think, they refuse to let their child receive the vaccine.

But here is where I see obvious shady business driven by nothing short of $$$$$!

"These days its recommended that if your child does have an egg allergy, they still should get flu shot but in a monitored setting with an allergist who can monitor them in case they do get reaction, must be watched for at least 30 minutes,"

Now that is absurd!  The only way it seems possible that health care professionals (those supposedly looking out for your health and safety) would push this vaccine knowing someone is allergic to one of its ingredients, is because they are getting paid to.  It's business plain and simple!

Whether the "get your flu shot" campaign is coming from the pharmaceutical company who makes billions in profit for making and selling it, or a government who spends billions in taxpayer dollars to fund the pharmaceutical industry in their pursuit of getting the vaccine out to the public asap , or the doctors, pharmacies, and wherever else they're offered profits either directly or indirectly from giving them.  No matter how you slice this onion it stinks!

So as a concerned citizen (yes that means you) it's time to wake up to the cold hard facts.  The facts that clearly show that not only are you subjecting yourself to possible anaphylaxis due to its ingredients, or the VERY REAL risk of mercury toxicity especially if you get yours yearly, but the fact is they don't even work.  Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of those who receive the vaccine (90+ %) will receive no immunity. That means they will get the flu (or not) regardless of receiving the vaccine.  And as an added bonus for all those who line up like drones (yearly), when (not if) they come down with the flu virus it will be worse and you will suffer longer!  That's what a lack of an immune system does...

So what to do you ask?

* Eat a healthy diet low in sugar and grains (glucose to the body).
* Make sure you consuming enough animal based omega-3 fatty acid
* Eat only organic pasture raised meats, eggs, and dairy.  (these are all good sources of protein, saturated fat, fat soluble vitamins, and omega-3)
* Eat only organic vegetables.
* Eat plenty of homemade unpasteurized fermented foods.
* Exercise regularly.
* Get plenty of sun (vitamin D)
* Make sure your consuming enough vitamin C (and your probably not)
* Avoid pharmaceuticals (Rx or over the counter)

You can do it! 

Be healthy in 2013

Let me kick off the new year with a shout out to Ethel Hoover, a nurse (former nurse) at an Indiana hospital, who was fired for refusing a flu shot.  I am deeply sorry that she was ultimately let go by her employer but...

GOOD FOR HER!

...for refusing to let our failing medical industry, government, and employers tell us what we should or should not do when it comes to our bodies and our health.  (see story here)

News flash people, the flu shot does NOT prevent the flu and in fact research shows (of course not the research anyone who profits from selling this profitable propaganda wants you to see) that those who take a flu shot are more likely to be susceptible to other strains of the flu with more severe symptoms.

If you want to prevent getting the flu (or any other illness for that matter) then you have to build and maintain a healthy immune system.  This cannot be done with a pill or shot or Rx of any kind.

Instead can only be obtained through  a healthy diet low in sugar and grains (glucose to the body).  One that promotes normal insulin response, a strong colony of healthy bacteria (healthy gut), and inhibits inflammation. 

Contrary to what the medical community (most doctors) as well as those that profit from our failing food system which is any company profiting from the factory farming industry (this includes drug companies and pharmaceutical companies) would like you to believe, a healthy diet is NOT one consisting of whole grains and low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

Our bodies need 'pastured' animal protein, animal fat (saturated fat) as well as fat soluble vitamins in order to run efficiently. 

• This means stop with the egg whites and eat the yokes too!  (Organic Pastured Eggs)
• This means stop eating that widely promoted whole grain breakfast and replace it with pastured eggs and bacon from pastured pork.  (It's actually good for you!)
• Stop avoiding "red meat" and replacing it with turkey this and tofu that... Put meat (red and white) back into your diet, just make sure it's of the organic pastured variety.
• Significantly cut down on processed foods, high in sugar and chemicals, and replace it with real homemade meals.
• Start incorporating fermented foods into your diet so you can build up and maintain a healthy gut (immune system).
•  Avoid all non-organic GMO products!  And any company that supports them for that matter!
• Stop listening to your doctor who most likely profits (in one way or another) from the pharmaceutical industry and take your health and that of your family's into your own hands.
• Look for a more natural and alternative approach to health and wellness. 
• Question everything considered "mainstream" and "the norm"

Be smart in 2013 and educate yourself on what it really means to be healthy!

Why studies on vitamin D are dangerously misleading

Most all of the 'published' studies, primarily those with the agenda to debunk health claims regarding the benefits of vitamin D have one very crucial flaw in common, the study's participants are always given vitamin D orally via supplements.

There are two major problems with this:

1. The most effective, efficient, and natural source of Vitamin D is from sun exposure through the skin.  UVB rays from the sun triggers your body's natural production of vitamin D.
2. Any dietary source of vitamin D should come from a whole food source such as cod liver oil, wild caught fish, and organic pastured eggs and raw milk, and not via the synthetically derived form found in supplements and processed foods.

 So why is it all of these studies fail to include any of these sources of vitamin D?

The answer is easy, and scary at the same time... scary because it's another example of how our medical industry is influenced by our unhealthy food and pharmaceutical industries.

First let's take a look at the pharmaceutical industry's role in these false claims.  How else could you explain the obvious conspiracy (for lack of a better word) against the sun?

Who in their right mind would have the audacity to even suggest that with the 80+ million years that the evolution of  primates has under its belt, nature has had it wrong from day one.  Maybe instead of selfishly focusing on the development and honing of cognitive skills as well as the development of opposable thumbs nature should have better focused its evolutionary energy on developing a good quality sunscreen.

The truth is sunscreen causes cancer not the sun, but since we cannot patent the sun (yet) it becomes more profitable to create a worldwide scare against that big orange ball of fire and then swoop in to save the day with a miracle cream or spray that will protect you from those evil rays... Don't believe the hype!

Now let's take a look at our food industry and their role in all of this.  If the food industry were to admit that a lack of vitamin D via sun exposure had any negative affect on their product, the entire factory farming industry would come tumbling down.  There simply is no place for a green lush pasture within the walls (and roof) of factory farming.  I mean what would Purdue or Tyson do if they had to actually fess and come clean, admitting to their poor abused sickly flocks of poultry that daylight really does exist and that it wasn't just a rumor started by a bunch of cackling hens... pun intended. 

The truth is pastured poultry (layers and broilers) as well as pastured cows and pigs result in healthier animals due to sun exposure.  Of course daily access to natural healthy forage such as omega-3 rich grasses and herbs also plays a large role, but since both really go hand-in-hand we will consider them one in the same.  And you cannot deny the fact that organic pastured eggs and raw milk are naturally higher in vitamin D then their factory farmed counterpart.  A fact that factory farming and our food industry would rather you not focus on.  Why do you think store bought eggs and milk are fortified with (synthetic) vitamin D?  Maybe because the animal they came from lacked Mother Nature's number one source... The SUN!

Ultimately though the choice is yours; hide from the sun and sport that "I wish I was a vampire look" or embrace the sun (in a safe manner) and get your vitamin D the way nature intended.

Reduced allergy milk? Bad News!

When I read an article in today's health news titled, "Cow named Daisy makes reduced allergy milk", only one thing comes to mind; once again man is meddling where he shouldn't be.

Cows produce milk, like all female mammals, for one reason and one reason only, to feed their young.  This milk, regardless of what mammal it comes from, is packed with nutrients designed to nourish and strengthen, as well as healthy bacteria and digestive enzymes designed to aid in digestion and maintain a healthy gut (immune system).  We humans have decided for one reason or another that feeding our young the milk of another lactating mammal (cow) instead of that of its mother (human) is the better (healthy) or a more socially excepted choice...

Each mammal produces milk specific to the needs and requirements of their own offspring.  And although 'Raw Pastured' cow's milk may be an extremely healthy nutrient rich alternative, the corn-fed hormone induced antibiotic rich variety found at your local food store is anything but.  Add to that it's lack of healthy living bacteria of any kind due to pasteurization and irradiation, and what you are left with is 'more harm than good!' 

Studies have shown that the healthy 'living' (key word here) bacteria present in raw milk aids in the digestion of its proteins.  Therefore it's not the milk per say that is the cause of one of the most common food allergies in humans (dairy allergy) but rather the over consumption of the commercially sold 'dead milk' that we so quickly and willingly subject our young to.  All commercially sold dairy products lack nutrients as well as the necessary digestive bacteria that would render it healthy.

Instead what you have is a highly allergenic protein with some fortified vitamins and minerals, and a lifetime's worth of hormones and antibiotics in every glassful.

So it's your choice as to what you are going to feed your children (pre solid foods), but keep in mind that commercially sold cow dairy products should not be an option, even if they are of the "reduced allergy" kind... sorry Daisy!

Why 'YES' to Proposition 37 is important to all of us

There is something very important coming to a vote this November election, and it isn't which of the two clueless pawns currently in the running will become the next president of the United States.  It's called Proposition 37 'The right to know' and voting yes to this will give consumers the right to know what's in their food, primarily whether or not it contains GM (genetically modified) or GE (genetically engineered) ingredients.

Although this is up for vote in California and not nationwide, a win in the largest state for producing and selling organic products would surely set the tone for the rest of the country.  And even if you're not a California resident you can still donate to the cause.  

It's amazing to me (but not surprising) the amount of money the opposition is spending to blind the consumer.  This isn't a vote as to whether or not GE foods should exist (and they should NOT) but instead it's a vote to ensure proper labeling so we the consumer can have the choice to buy or not to buy.

The top five contributors to the opposition are Monsanto (the industry leader in genetic engineering as well as the maker of the pesticide/herbicide RoundUp), Dupont and DOW (Chemical companies with their dirty hands covered in Agriscience), Bayer (a pharmaceutical company), and BASF (a chemical company), all of which lead the pack with a mind boggling amounts of money being spent in this campaign to blind and poison the consumer. 

Donor	Amount
Monsanto	$7,100,500
E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co.	$4,900,000
DOW Agrisciences	$2,000,000
Bayer Cropscience	$2,000,000
BASF Plant Science	$2,000,000
Pepsico, Inc.	$1,716,300
Nestle USA	$1,169,400
Coca-Cola North America	$1,164,400
Conagra Foods	$1,076,700
General Mills	$908,200
Syngenta Corporation	$821,300
Del Monte Foods	$674,100
Kellogg Company	$632,500
Hershey Company	$498,006
The J.M. Smucker Company	$388,000
Council for Biotechnology Information	$375,000
Grocery Manufacturers Association	$375,000
Hormel Foods	$374,300
Bumble Bee Foods	$368,500
Ocean Spray Cranberries	$362,100
Sara Lee	$343,600
Bimbo Bakeries	$338,300
Pioneer Hi-Bred International	$310,100
Pinnacle Foods	$266,100
Dean Foods Company	$253,950
Biotechnology Industry Organization	$252,000
Campbell's Soup	$250,000
McCormick & Company	$248,200
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company	$237,664
Rich Products Corporation	$225,537
Cargill, Inc.	$202,229
Dole Packaged Foods	$171,261
Knouse Foods Cooperative	$135,831
Mars Food North America	$100,242

They are pushing hard with adds trying to convince the consumer that GE foods are no different if not better than their non-GMO counterparts.  But if this were true then why not spend the money educating the public and then trusting that they will make the right choice at the check-out. . .  The reason is the "right choice" is NON-GMO!  And they know it!

When more than 40 other nations around the globe either require labeling of or ban the sale of GE and GM foods, the question you should ask yourself is why in the "land of the free" don't WE have the right to choose?

Unfortunately the opposition doesn't make it easy for the average ill-informed consumer especially when, those at the top of the list who currently control our food industry (a product of factory farming), have such deep pockets and political influence making it easy to sway our government, our medical community, the media, and ultimately our nation in their direction.

Do the research, educate yourself, and make the right HEALTHY choice.  Say 'YES' because you do have the right to know!

I still believe the best way to win the fight against our current food industry (factory farming, industrial pharming, Agriscience, call it what you will) is to support your local organic farmer.  Buy only local sustainably farmed foods when possible; organic produce and pastured meats, dairy, and eggs.  Make sure all packaged goods are organic and specifically say NON-GMO on the label.

Another reason to avoid store bought milk!

I just can't resist the urge to comment on a news article such as this one, and I can't help but wonder if when they made the movie 'Dumb and Dumber" they weren't basing it on people like this...

Cattle enjoying sweet life amid corn shortages

In reading just the first few paragraphs it becomes apparent that the poor desperate and naive dairy farmer as well as 'Ki Fanning', a nutritionist with apparently no real nutritional background nor common sense for that matter, are both extremely misguided and unfortunately a product of factory farming at its worst.  

The gist of the article is; with the price of corn so high because of shortages due to the drought this year, farmers are desperately searching for alternative feed choices for their cattle aside from the obvious (grass).  So what have they turned to?  Sprinkles!  Yes you heard me correctly and it doesn't stop there.  Apparently it's Halloween for cows with their baskets full of "cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows, fruit loops, orange peels, even dried cranberries..."

It's not bad enough that these products consisting of sugar and chemicals cause disease in omnivores (humans), but to feed them to ruminants (cows)...

Quick lesson, an omnivorous diet consists of multiple food sources (animal protein, animal fat, herbs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, etc.), but a ruminant, a unique type of herbivore, can only safely digest one type of food... GRASS!  It's the whole reason their digestive system consists of a multiple compartment stomach including its own fermentation tank (the rumen), to allow for healthy efficient digestion of cellulose (plant matter).  Incorrect diet is one of the main reasons factory farming results in animals being fed so many antibiotics as part of their diet.  The majority of  their poor unhealthy diet is grain (corn) not herbs as nature intended.  This causes inflammation within their stomach(s), kills the healthy bacteria within their rumen necessary for digestion, and leads to sickness and disease.

And if all of this can be caused by the almighty grain, which chemically speaking is basically glucose, then imagine what pure refined toxic sugar will do?

Most disturbing by far though is this quote by a supposed nutritionist...

"Everybody is looking for alternatives," said Ki Fanning, a nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting in Eagle, Nebraska. "It's kind of funny the first time you see it but it works well. The big advantage to that is you can turn something you normally throw away into something that can be consumed. The amazing thing about a ruminant, a cow, you can take those type of ingredients and turn them into food."

I think the scarecrow had more brains then this guy.

How to stay healthy this flu season without the help of big pharma

With shorter days getting shorter by the minute and colder temperatures riding the coattails of autumn, it's only natural that images of your fevered sniffly achy self pathetically lying in bed or on the couch with a thermometer sticking out of  your mouth become more frequent, but haunting?  It doesn't have to be so.

So how then do you stay healthy when all those around you are willingly overdosing on cold and or flu medicine as if they had stock in the very pharmaceutical companies pushing these drugs?

Well for starters don't panic.  A healthy immune system is an amazing and surprisingly intelligent fighting machine.  It's the kind of thing all of the great Sci Fi  films are made of...  It learns, remembers, and attacks with precision strikes!  It has however one critical flaw, to learn and remember it has to first actually be exposed to... and therein lies the problem.

We have become a society of 'live unhealthy and let big pharma take care of the rest'... Who needs a working immune system when there is a shot, pill, or elixir just waiting to be had?  Well, if avoiding sickness and disease is your intention then the answer is you do!

I will share with you my secrets but first you should know it really is not a secret at all, and I really can't take any credit for it because much of it (that of which is not common sense or trial and error learned) is based on others research that I've simply picked up along the way.  So without further ado...

1. Maintain a healthy diet.  A rule of thumb should be if it promotes a healthy gut (digestive system) and inhibits inflammation (NOT promotes inflammation) while satisfying your inner carnivorous need for pastured animal protein, animal fat, and animal fat soluble vitamins, then it's a healthy diet. I recommend incorporating unpasteurized fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kefir into your diet, while avoiding gluten and minimizing grains as they are high in omega-6 which promotes inflammation.
2. Get some sun.  I am using sun as a synonym for Vit D, with the understanding that the sun is the healthiest most efficient and most natural source of 'D' available.  Avoid sun screen!
3. Exercise regularly.  My favorite exercise is hiking or running (barefoot) OUTSIDE on NATURAL surfaces.  Not only do you get the basic cardiovascular benefits of exercise as well as fresh air and sunlight, you also get the added benefit of 'grounding' and natural healing from barefoot contact with the earth due to the naturally occurring magnetic fields.  
4. Get sufficient rest.  Sleep is important period; no way around it, and insomnia or any chronic sleeping issues is a sure sign of unhealthier things to come. 
5. Take only good quality supplements.  Your best bet are whole food supplements when possible.  I take a fermented cod liver oil for omega-3 with the added benefit of vitamin D, A and K.  I also take a wild greens powder supplement which is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
   
6. Eat local sustainably farmed meats, dairy, eggs, and veggies.  Most anything else you buy is a product of factory farming (grain fed, omega-3 deficient, antibiotic/hormone inoculated) animals.
7. Make sure any store bought foods are organic non-GMO.
8. Don't use pharmaceuticals!  Over-the-counter or Rx, and this includes vaccinations.
9. Don't use antibacterial soaps!
10. Avoid hospitals when possible.  For that matter avoid doctors as well...
11. Use only organic or chemical free products for all your hygiene needs.   This means fluoride free, sulfate free toothpaste.  Your dentist may tell you otherwise but if you do the research you will see that fluoridation of all types (drinking water or topical) is toxic not to mention fluoridated water is  byproduct of the phosphate chemical fertilizer industry!
12. Use only plant based chemical free (organic if possible) household cleaning products.
13. Practice some sort of meditation.  A stress free life is a healthy life.

Don't let your pediatrician bully you into unnecessary vaccinations

Vaccinations are always a hot topic especially this time of year when children are back in school.  Unfortunately many parents put way too much blind faith in their pediatrician to make this very personal and very important decision for them.  A decision that could just as easily cause a serious life altering and in some cases fatal reaction; one that would surely leave the parents asking why?   How?

Fortunately there are many parents out there that do the research, understand the risks (often higher than the "reward"), and choose to say no when it comes to vaccinations.  Or at the very least they go into the decision with enough facts to make smart choices as to which vaccination they will allow their child to have.

I often bight my tongue when it comes to topics like this one, because I do not have children of my own, but with all of the testimonials out there and all of the documented cases of "harmless vaccinations" going very very wrong, I see no reason why I can't chime in on the side of these concerned parents. 

Since the very first vaccinations were given (small pox and rabies) severe life altering side-effects have followed, and with the scary and very creditable link between many vaccination and autism, concerned mothers have been fighting tooth and nail for the right to say NO!

I urge you, as a concerned parent, to do the research and don't be afraid to question your child's pediatrician.  It is important to remember that vaccinations, like any drug, are a very profit driven market within the pharmaceutical industry.   The same pharmaceutical companies that are constantly in a vicious competition with one another as they race to get their product on the market first, regardless of the consequences.  They (pharmaceutical companies) have the deep pockets to act first and pay later. 

If you don't believe me, just do a quick online search regarding lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies by the FDA due to a laundry list of illegal and despicable practices.  Trust me a few deaths and a few fines are a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of dollars in profit they get for getting their product out first.

Why factory farming breeds animal cruelty

First let me start of by saying that factory farming, or industrial farming, is by all accounts cruel to animals, people, and nature alike, regardless of whether or not someone is found playing foul...

Now I am not by any means against the raising of animals for consumption, as I believe that humans are by nature far more carnivorous than vegetarian.  However I am absolutely against the chauvinistic viewpoint that human society as a whole portrays towards all other beings.  And that is that humans are above all others on this planet, and only those few creatures that portray some human like quality either in the realm of  intelligence or compassion deem saving.  And only then do we make it our responsibility to save them from our cruelty, for the good of humanity of course...

So with that off my chest, let me get to the heart of my post.  Factory farming made headlines the other day with another animal cruelty charge... Butterball farm worker guilty of animal cruelty.

The point I'd like to make is that when we treat our food industry with a factory mentality, we diminish the animals to nothing more than widgets (whatever the factory is producing).  Once we take this precious living quality away from the animal, and once we dull our (the workers) senses to this life that is being taken by making it a robotic repetitious act, we open up the door to cruel unthinkable things.  We confine them into overcrowded cages or feed lots depriving them of their natural surroundings (earth and sunlight), and then we genetically modify them to better cope with conditions that would otherwise violate the Geneva Convention in every possible way.  We alter them physically by clipping beaks and clipping tails in order to prevent them from harming each other in the overcrowded jail cells that they call home. We force them to eat cheap unnatural food (GM corn and soy) depriving them of their natural diet (pasture and forage), and then pump them full of antibiotics in order to keep them alive long enough to slaughter.  We continually rape the land of all its nutrients killing trillions of organisms that would otherwise occupy healthy top soil, with the constant chemical warfare (synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides) that are used on the majority of the farm land (mono crops of soy and corn) that blankets this country.  We dam rivers for irrigation and plow over otherwise pristine untouched prairie land and forests, destroying the many ecosystems that would otherwise call these places home, for our own selfish need to plant and harvest more (corn and soy) in order to feed this ever hungry demean of a machine that we created (the industrial food industry).

And all of this is done every day within the laws that society has created.  And with the help of the constant ignorance (I don't want to know attitude) that people of this industrialized society portray, this "behind the scenes" cruelty that is the norm goes unstopped until some fool (a product of our own doing) makes headlines.

Take responsibility for your actions and choose to know where your food comes from. 

Support your local organic sustainable farms!

Antibacterial, but at what cost?

My wife and I never buy antibacterial soap for use at home for a number of reasons one of which being that like antibiotics, antibacterial soaps kill all bacteria (good and bad) indiscriminately.  And more and more research shows that healthy bacteria, both inside and outside of our bodies, are absolutely crucial for your health.  Remember without the healthy bacteria sharing our bodies with us, and by sharing I mean physically out numbering us (bacteria to human cells), we would cease to exist!

Aside from that, as if another reason was needed, we choose our soaps as we do all the other hygiene products that we use; organic or at the very least chemical free, sulfate free, fluoride free (toothpaste), paraben free, and anything 'unnatural' free.  Because as you probably know by now non-organic products contain harmful chemicals, some listed and some not required to be, but all harmful none the less.  And this brings me to the driving force behind today's post...  Harmful Chemicals!

The soap you should never use but 75% of households do

The latest research shows that Triclosan, a bactericide used in many products, has been linked to one of the biggest killers today, heart disease!  Of course given the fact that it was first registered with the EPA in 1969 as a pesticide, harmful side effects due to this chemical shouldn't be too much of a surprise. 

These harmful effects include muscle function...
"After mice were exposed to one dose of triclosan, heart muscle function was reduced by 25 percent, and grip strength was reduced by 18 percent. Fish were also exposed to triclosan – about the equivalent dose as would be accumulated in a week in the wild – and this led to poorer swimming performance. Researchers also exposed individual human muscle cells (from heart and skeletal muscles) to a triclosan dose similar to everyday-life exposure, and this, too, disrupted muscle function and caused both heart and skeletal muscles to fail."   Articles on Mercola.com 8/29/12


... and  hormone function.
"A Toxicological Sciences study found that triclosan affected estrogen-mediated responses, and many chemicals that imitate estrogen are known to increase breast cancer risk.³ Triclosan also suppressed thyroid hormone in rats, and this is only one study in an accumulating body of research showing this chemical to be a potent endocrine disruptor."  Articles on Mercola.com 8/29/12

So for these reasons I never use antibacterial soap (at work, at home, or anywhere), it's simply healthier to use water alone if no other soap options are available.

Drought is kryptonite to factory farming

I think this year's drought that has hit American Agriculture so hard, with "half of the US counties deemed natural disaster areas", only strengthens the argument that factory farming cannot efficiently feed a nation.

When nearly all of the meat (beef, chicken, turkey, pork, and farm raised fish) produced and sold in the US depends on annual monocrops (GM corn and soy) as the primary feed source, saying we have all our 'non-cage-free' eggs in one basket would be a profound understatement.  With the majority of the hundreds of millions of acres of farm land stretching across our nation unnaturally occupied by one of two crops, our nation's food system is greatly dependent upon four things; good rainfall, chemicals, chemicals, chemicals... 

Nature dictates the rules; diversity (polyculture over monoculture), fertile soil, and rain. A successful organic sustainable farm helps guarantee the first two requirements are met, while factory farming on the other hand requires chemicals and GM seed to accomplish the same feat.  With the soil continuously depleted of all its nutrients due to harmful deep tilling in order to make way for overly dense populations of single crops, any favorable yield requires unnatural help.  Collectively these infertile farm lands require billions of tons of chemicals in the form of fertilizer to add much needed nitrogen, herbicides to prevent the only thing that effortlessly chooses to populate these otherwise barren deserts (weeds), pesticides to kill all of nature's opportunistic insects that effortlessly feed on these helpless nutrient lacking crops, and of course the round-up ready GM seeds. 

And even with all this chemical warfare on the side of factory farming, all can easily be lost if the winds of change choose to blow the rain clouds away.  Sure, sustainable farming requires water just as factory farming does, but in a sustainable farming model you have smaller, local organic farms with more pasture than monocrop. You creatively use the landscape given to you and gently mold it into something that favors your sustainable farming needs.  Instead of knocking down and plowing over all standing trees to make room for fields of corn or soy, you leave a nice thick perimeter encircling your pastures (sustainable = pastured), promoting refuge for smaller animals that can feed the predators that would otherwise prey on your livestock.  The trees and brush also do a good job of feeding the soil as well as soaking up any pollutants that may be in the ground.  Utilize low lying areas to create ponds instead of tilling and seeding.  Use livestock (pigs and chickens) to till for gardens instead of heavy equipment.  Plant only enough grains to feed those omnivorous animals that can consume them as part of the diet, like chickens and pigs.  Let Pasture dependent animals (cattle) graze, feeding them hey in the winter months not grain.  Use proper pasture rotation methods as practiced by successful organic sustainable farmers such as Joel Salatin, and make it your goal to build topsoil not deplete it.

Why you should avoid the doctor if you want to stay healthy

I came across this article Top ten reasons to avoid your doctor and I felt compelled to share.

I am in absolute agreement with all 10 reasons listed, like reason number 8:

8. Inappropriate and Unwise Dietary Advice

Most doctors are clueless about what constitutes a healthy diet. As such, they will recommend health catastrophes like artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils in lieu of butter, and fat-free pasteurized dairy products. Most will also neglect to tell you about the foods you could be eating more of to optimize your health, like fermented vegetables, raw dairy products, healthy fats (like saturated and animal-based omega-3s), grass-fed beef and more.

In addition, most are ignorant about the importance of how to cook your food – most foods are best consumed when raw or only lightly cooked, and this includes animal proteins like eggs and meat. A discussion about food quality is essential to health (i.e. getting your meat from a small local farmer instead of a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)) but you will almost never hear this from your family physician. Wondering how to truly eat healthy? See my nutrition plan for a comprehensive (and free) guide. articles.Mercola.com July 25th 2012

Take your health and that of your family into your own hands, and do not trust those who are influenced and brainwashed by corporate greed!

Live Happy and Healthy!

Drought plus annual-mono-agriculturalistic society equals disaster!

I can't help but wonder if this severe drought that much of the U.S. is experiencing, isn't hitting the country's food industry even harder than it would if our agriculture wasn't so dependent upon annual monocrops?

Much of our countries "farm land" is covered by either GM corn or soy; that's hundreds of millions of acres of land that if untouched would be occupied by perennial forests or prairie land, both of which fair far better during periods of extremes.  Instead these over plowed, over sprayed and otherwise infertile barren stretches of our landscape are a perfect recipe for disaster.  There is a reason that annual monocultures such as these do not exist in nature... But we (humans) have created a society that is entirely dependent upon them for survival.

With nearly every non-organic processed pre-packaged food containing in some way shape or form (GM soy and corn), and all non-organic fresh or frozen sold, as well as all factory farmed (grain/soy fed) meats and dairy sold in the U.S. coming from our amber waves of grain (and legume), there is no escaping the devastating effects currently plaguing much of the country in the face of this dry season.

Yet even with the current drought, dried up fields of corn, and the anticipated inevitable increased food prices making headlines, our society still believes we can "save the world" with deforestation, damming of rivers, and destroying of otherwise healthy perennial pollyculture ecosystems, by simply selling our souls to the idea of factory farming and it's puppet master Monsanto.

I would like to restate the obvious in an effort to save our food industry and ultimately ourselves, from ourselves... support local sustainable farming!  Buy only locally raised organic pastured meats, dairy, and eggs.  Stand up for your health and that of our long overly abused planet, and say no to GMOs!

What can be more natural then feeding fish soy...

Since 1995 when Monsanto, the maker of Round-up, introduced their latest and possibly most deadly creation; GM (round-up ready) soy beans, they have been slowly and quite effectively taking over (infecting) our food industry.

With help from the US government and their desire to be at the "leading edge" of biogenetics research, the United States has become the biggest advocate for this man made cancer, accounting for well over 50% of all GM crops worldwide.  Rivaled by only GM corn, genetically modified soy is used in some way shape or form in all non-organic processed foods, and is nearly unavoidable when shopping at your local grocer.  All non-organic non-pastured meats (beef, chicken, pork, turkey) as well as dairy produced and sold in this country, are fed GM soy (as well as corn) as the majority of their diets.  So from packaged goods to fresh produce to packaged and fresh meats and dairy, you just can't escape this hidden cancer.

So what could possibly make things worse?

How about if Monsanto, the leading maker of GMO's, and agricultural factory-farmed food conglomerate Cargill put their evil strengths together in a push to make GM soy the primary feed for factory farmed fish...

And that's just what they're doing!  As if we needed more of a reason not to buy factory farmed fish, with its overly crowded overly populated disease infested conditions, the last thing this unhealthy population of fish need is GM soy added to their diets.  Not only would it be detrimental to the health of those fish fed this poisonous  unnatural diet, but it would be devastating to wild marine life and ecosystems due to run-off of both uneaten food as well as the abundance of waist produced by these fish, not to mention the pesticides within the GMO itself.

Don't give the last piece of the food puzzle to these profit, greed, and world-domination driven corporations.

Say no to Factory Pharming!

Support your local organic sustainable farmer!

Don't believe your dentist!

I've posted about this before but a recent article in health news warrants a re-post.

If you want healthy teeth, don't listen to your dentist!

Sounds contradictory?  Most dentists still believe that regular fluoridation via toothpaste, mouthwash, or other topical aid, along with fluoridated water prevents cavities.  Unfortunately "most dentists" are wrong!

Fluoridation, especially that found in drinking water, is actually a waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry called hydrofluorosilicic acid, and has been described as a neurotoxin at its worst, accumulating in sensitive organ tissue, severely affecting brain function.

This is a very interesting, disturbing, and eye-opening article that I urge you to read...  


"Good oral health and strong, healthy teeth are NOT the result of drinking fluoridated water and brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste. Rather it's virtually all about your diet.

Dr. Weston A. Price, who was one of the major nutritional pioneers of all time, completed some of the most extensive research on this topic back in the 1900s, and it is still very much relevant today. What he found, and documented in his classic book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, is that native tribes who were eating their traditional diet had nearly perfect teeth, and were almost 100 percent free of tooth decay -- and they did not have toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, or root canals and fillings.

But when these tribal populations were introduced to sugar and white flour, guess what happened … their health, and their perfect teeth, rapidly deteriorated, just like the kids in El Salvador. By avoiding sugars and processed foods, you prevent the proliferation of the bacteria that cause decay in the first place." When treatment is poison   Mercola.com July 14th 2012

Monsanto looking for world domination?

It would appear that Monsanto is looking for world domination when it comes to our food industry, which shouldn't come as a surprise since they already rule the food industry within the US.

They have control over the Department of Agriculture at all levels and can sway any vote by congress in their favor.  They directly influence our medical industry by funding biogenetic research at the university level, while threatening lawsuits and pulling funds to universities that do not oblige.  They have a very influential hand in the pharmaceutical industry, which conveniently enough  forces their hand (a second time) in our medical industry.  And they have absolute rule over all farmers that have sold their souls to the devil (Monsanto), not to mention those farmers that haven't... once it has been determined that any portion of a farmers crop originated from Monsanto's GM seeds, even due to cross contamination, they own you!

With the United States in the bag, it appears they (Monsanto) are finally breaking down the previously impenetrable European Union...   Monsanto promises pain to EU

So what can we do to prevent the global destruction caused as a result?

Support local organic sustainable farms for all your pastured meats, eggs, dairy, and vegetables.  For all other store bought products, try and choose organic brands that are not associated with companies such as Monsanto; click here for a brief list.  And be aware that this is just a general list and does not include every company that is in one way or another at some level tied to Monsanto.  Even some organic brands that may not include GM ingredients have ties to Monsanto.

Educate yourself and take control of your health!