Saturday, August 23, 2014

Interested in GMO's? Check out this research paper

 
                                               Food, Eat At Your Own Risk


                   Anne Wigmore 1said “ The food you eat can be the safest form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” What do allergy, Cancer, Nerve gas, Autism, death rates in America and agricultural damage have in common? They are all connected to pesticides and GMO's in one form or another. 80% of all the pesticides used in the US are used on agriculture alone, while at least 7,500 miles of crops in the US are GE crops. The current situation with food is quite alarming once you actually know what is going on. Not only for your health but also for the health of our planet, Earth. Now this isn’t one or two farmers spraying pesticides and killing off some species of insects. This is an industry ran by wealthy corporations greasing the hands of uncle sam. Its something strategic and thought out something called coordinated framework. It is very unfortunate that in todays world we have congressmen turned farmers, because as we all know most politicians are known for drumming up campaign money not growing crops. In the biotechnology industry where GMO's are studied and created around $50 million per year is spent on marketing tell you that GMO's pose no risk to your health. If they were ok would you really need such a deep pocket for marketing? Not only are we poisoning our food and our people but in turn we are poisoning the one thing that takes care of us, the one thing we need, Earth. It is unfortunate but the government is no longer concerned with the well being of the country, the people or the world and this is rubbing off on all humankind.

                  Every year a list called “The Dirty Dozen” comes out and it lists the top twelve most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables. Fruits like peaches, apples, strawberries and cucumbers have been tested with 60+ different types of pesticides when not organically grown. I was raised eating extremely clean and healthy but there did come a time in my life when I decided I would eat whatever I wanted. My mother being an intuitive, humanitarian, lover of all things natural, healthy and good for ones well being had been telling me, “Autumn you have to pay attention to what you're eating, you really should eat organic, you need to be careful and put good, healthy things in your body.” And my typical response was “Mom, I've been eating un-organic food with pesticides for this long and I'm fine, so I'm not stopping now.” Luckily due to great genetics, a fast metabolism and age I was able to do this for a handful of years. Then came July 17th, 2013, I had an extremely weird allergy attack and was sent into the hospital from work in an ambulance. I was breaking out in hives, itchy, sneezing, mucus had filled up my nose and my esophagus so much that I was starting to have paranoia that it would block my breathing completely. That morning I had ate nothing out of my ordinary routine except one thing, there was the peach, this was the one thing I had that that morning that I never have. So after questioning while I was in the ER the doctors had ruled out that I had suffered from an allergy attack, not to the peach itself but the pesticides used on the peach that was sold for human consumption. So at this point I was pretty shocked, confused and dumbfounded. How could something be put on my food, that I would eat, that could possibly harm me in such a manner that I would have to be hospitalized? I kept asking myself, how could this be? I had asked the doctors and nurses over and over how it could be from the pesticides and they had told me that this was a common occurrence with pesticides on food and most common with peaches. I was in total disbelief but it was like everything I knew growing up as far as food and everything my mom had been telling me was just unfolding in front of me. I haven’t eaten a peach since then as well as doing anything in my power to eat only organic fruits, vegetables and food all together. So here I have given you a firsthand experience to the minor effects to pesticides and yes, these are just the minor effects.
 
                             To understand pesticides its important to know their history. There is a reason the companies who make them don’t tell us. Chemical Warfare is the origin of some Pesticides. To name a couple, Nerve Gas in World War 2 and Agent Orange2 in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was a mixture of Herbicides that were sprayed on forests and vegetation during the Vietnam War to eliminate the troops and the forests that would feed them. Around 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam were sprayed with more than 19 million gallons of Agent Orange from 1961-1972. The effects of Agent Orange range from muscular dysfunction, birth defects, inflammation, nervous system disorders,Type-2 Diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia and numerous cancers. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs sill offers a program for those who are suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was not only dumped on the land but also dumped in the water supply and non-combat areas. The battle of who should be allowed receive Vietnam War benefits goes on to this day because in Vietnam millions of children were born with serious birth defects while others are still suffering from cancers and other Agent Orange caused illnesses. Now that you know a little history on Pesticides, how do you feel?

                  We hear a lot of hype around buying organic and how pesticides aren’t good but we are not educated as to why pesticides actually are harmful and what it is that they do. Although they are harmful to ingest the effects don’t only affect those eating them, this is a huge cycle of contamination from farm to land, to water to air, because the cycle of pollination Pesticides have the capability to contaminate more than those handling and consuming them. There are three types of pesticides used. Herbicides, used to kill unwanted weeds and plants. Insecticides, used to kill insects. Lastly Fungicides used to kill fungus. All three could be used in conjunction to “protect” your food from all three of the natural elements. Pesticides can also enter through the skin because of the skins absorbing capability’s. One wouldn’t need to eat, touch or be near a crop thats been sprayed with pesticides because it travels in the air. Being airborne means it also comes into contact with water and the most obvious of all the soil. Pesticide poising looks a lot like a flu so many people eating them as well as those not like workers may not even know they are poisoned.

               One of the most commonly used Herbicide is 2,4-D it is a Herbicide that was introduced in the 1940's it is made from ½ of the chemicals that form Agent Orange. 2,4-D has been found in rivers, streams, even in air samples and studies show that about 25% of 2,4-D is found in human urine. Some effects of 2,4-D are diarrhea, tumors, genetic damage in human cells, skin and eye irritant, reduced fertility and reduced kidney function and damage. Studies on the workers who handle 2,4-D have shown to a below average sperm count as well as higher levels of birth defects. Those most sensitive to Pesticides are children because their organs are growing and because what women eat while pregnant goes directly to the womb, even the fetus can be affected by pesticides. A study of 306 expecting women from all different races and economic backgrounds was completed. The women with the 15 percent higher levels of pesticide exposure had an average reduction of one-third of a pound and a half a week earlier birth. Early birth weights have been linked to infant mortality, health, cognitive and heart problems. The food we put in our bodies is supposed to be what fuels us, our muscles, our organs, brain, skin and to help us bear children . Food is supposed to be what makes us “healthy” but if we are putting Pesticides on our food then we are doing the exact opposite.

                   Corporations as farmers, Congressmen as distributers. Do you like this idea? Do you think it is okay for corporations and government to have full control of all aspects of food, the growing, regulating, planting, safety and distribution. Full control of the one thing we actually need to live and survive? I will illustrate all the ways the government and big corporations control the way food we eat is grown, protected and sold. Aside from the fact that anytime the government gets involved with something for any reason other than upholding standards and safety then you know there is usually an anterior motive, nine out of ten times it's money. In 1984 Coordinated framework3 was presented by Ronald Reagan for the regulation of biotechnology. This is basically three separate entities (FDA, USDA, EPA) in the government controlling the regulation of not only our natural food but also genetically modified organisms as a source of food the production, growth and distribution. The FDA which regulates to make sure foods are safe and effective. The USDA which provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources and enhances safety to reduce the prevalence of food borne hazards from farm to table providing food assistance and nutrition education. Lastly, the EPA which is responsible for making sure environments where we live and work are safe, reducing environmental risk based on scientific information, environmental protection policy, managing human health and environmental risks, sustainable and economical productivity. This means that you have three government entities working together to approve the health and standard of our farm processes and production. The downside to this is that all three agencies have the control to navigate what they want in these areas. So if you have officials working in either of the three regulation agencies and the government then you have government initiatives for certain reforms, laws and criteria. This is a big reason we don’t have stricter laws on use of pesticides on food and labeling of GMO's.

                   Its a fact that big corporations have a lot of say in politics because of their wealth and through lobbying because of this we are now seeing a lot of changes in favor of Monsanto Biotechnology. We’ve got whats known as the Monsanto Mafia. There are a total of 35 Federal employees who also hold positions at Monsanto, the worlds largest Biotechnology Corporation4. Of these 35 employees 6 work for the FDA, 3 USDA and range from FDA commissioner, Head of USDA, US Supreme Court and chief of Agricultural negotiation. Living in the “age of information” with statistics like these one could only think “This works to the tremendous advantage of anyone who'd benefit from our being dependent of their systems, information, fuel, and food. We've become easy to manage and control.” (Hartmann, 127) Unfortunate to us we also have a government that states at times it is against the use of GMO's yet passes things like HR 933 Provision, known as the Monsanto Protection Act which releases any jurisdiction the Federal Court may have to stop or halt the selling or planting of GE (Genetically Engineered) seeds regardless of the health issues or environmental issues they may cause. Due to natures way of pollination, Organic farmers now have to test their crops for pesticides to ensure their fruits and vegetables are actually organic. Non-GMO Farmers may even face patent infringement if strands of GE fruits or vegetables are found in their crops, which is inevitable with pollination, this could even be a way for the big corporations to “put out” smaller less powerful organic or non GMO farmers. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Monsanto be fined because their plants are genetically contaminating other farmers crops, not the other way around? Aside from being unfair, it is unfortunate that our government is not protecting people but instead choosing to protect big corporations as well as support and back them up.

            Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO's have made history and are continuing to every day in our country. GMOs are made by gene splicing, it merges DNA from different species of animals, plants, bacteria and virus' to change the way the plant grows, ripens and maintains. This process changes not only the natural makeup of the plant but also the nutritional value of the plant as well as creating a resistance to antibiotics because the new genes in the plant are changed. This also changes the natural level of toxins in plants which are so high that they can be at harmful for humans. GE plants are equipped with their own insecticide as well as being herbicide resistant which means growers (like Monsanto) can spray the herbicide Roundup5 (which is also owned by Monsanto) on them and any weeds will die off but the GE plant will remain intact. This is an extreme benefit to the grower, being they can grow more and sell more to the consumer.GE plants can withstand natural weather changes, require less food and attendance and can bring in more money because it's still going to last a lot longer on the shelf. Monsanto is currently working on creating a seed that will along with its insecticide and herbicide will also be drought resistant, so it wont need as much water if any as traditional plants do. GE plants lose nutritional value and obviously have less value due to pesticide dosing and their changed genetic makeup. The only value GMO's have is in money, they are in no way valuable to the health of Humans, animals or nature. One can only wonder how long will it be until the food were eating starts changing our DNA?

                The food we eat is essential to our health. Its essential to the well being of our life, the quality of our life in many ways. Of the top ten leading causes of death in the US six are health related listed in order of most deaths; 1. Heart disease 2. Cancer 3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 3. Stroke 7. Diabetes 8.Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis 9. Influenza and Pneumonia. What this shows us is that we have a direct connection to what we are eating and our health. While Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, homicide ranked as the 15th and is probably the most talked about cause of death in todays news. Shouldn’t we be talking about whats actually killing us? Due to these numbers shouldn’t we be taking a closer look at our food and why health is such a death threat to us? So for anyone still skeptical on weather pesticides and GE foods really are bad take a good look at those numbers and all of the changes our food has gone through over the last 20 years. We can't continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that the number one killer and 7 out of the top 10 killers are all health related. We must begin to realize that our food is much more important and valuable to our health than we are making it. If we cannot rid our food of pesticides, poisons and GMO's then we will continue as a species to decline in health, we will continue to become diseased, unhealthy and ill.
                  Changing our food has changed our health.“Every life-form has its special purpose in the grand ecosystem, and all are to be respected.” (Hamilton 176) We have started to change the ecosystem, began changing the food chain of animals, plants and humans. With all the types of pesticides we're using to kill off plants, insects and fungus were changing the natural jobs they were put on Earth to do. We have forgotten that with every nuisance that these things may bring there was also a purpose of them existing here in the first place. We have not looked at ways to work around or with these so called nuisances, we have just decided to all together cease and desist them. GMOs have changed the way things grow all together we’ve created plants that have genes of animals. Plants that resist poisons, need little water and out live their natural growing competitors by weeks. Completely changing their purpose in the ecosystem to benefit what? In no way do GE crops benefit the farmers, consumers and above all the Earth. We are far from the days of respecting the Earth and working with what its giving us. We have decided to take things into our own hands by whatever means we feel necessary regardless of its affect on us or our surroundings. The unfortunate thing about this is once Earths resources are gone or ruined we cannot just “create” another Earth in a lab, once its ruined, there is no turning back.

             What we can do now is raise awareness. Talk, spark interest. Support small businesses, shop at farmers markets, shop local. Learn about food, where it comes from, when it grows and why. Bring back the attitude that respecting the Earth we live on is okay, even cool and that we are actually a part of this Earth. We are one with Earth and as Earth serves us, we must in turn serve Earth. We must work together with Nature and only then will we prosper and live healthy lives. If Earth and nature are not healthy we cannot be healthy as creatures thriving on Earth. We should admire, acknowledge and respect nature and all of its actions, good or bad. Understand that things happen in nature and that is part of the cycle of life, it is to continue that way, not for us to change. Food was once living, thriving, taking nutrients from the Earth, water from the sky all to grow, strong, healthy to one day feed us, so we can to continue our similar cycle. We are creatures too. “The man-made environments of buildings and streets helped us forget our sacred connection with the Earth and all living creatures.” (Hartmann, 289) This is exactly what we must work to rebuild, our sacred connection with the Earth and all living creatures. This includes our relationship with ourselves and to human kind. It isn’t fair healthy or logical for the government to allow things like GMO's and pesticides to be consumed by people let alone poison our Earth thus ruining future crops and land regardless of its profit. Some things have no price because their value is beyond the terms of money, like health and life. We need to come to the realization that once all of Earths resources are dead, toxic or gone that we cannot eat the money that brought us to that point.






REFERENCES
Ann Wigmore
How much of our food is Genetically modified?
Pesticide usage in the US
Coordinated framework

Round up


USDA and FDA definitions

Monsanto numbers

GMO ban in countries, GMO's response to the reasoning why

Agent orange linked to 2,4D

Agent orange

Effects, facts on Agent Orange

Pregnancy and babies dangers to pesticides

CDC death rates in us 2010

1Ann Wigmore In 1955 her life vision began to take shape. In poor health, she began using weeds and wheatgrass juicing to heal herself. Over the course of the next 35 years, she promoted natural healing via her schools in Boston, The Hippocrates Health Institute, which opened in 1963, and The Ann Wigmore Foundation, begun in Boston in 1985. Her brilliant, long-lived career included lecturing, writing, and giving wheatgrass demonstrations in over 35 countries. Dr. Ann Wigmore is known for healing the natural way through a diet of organic, raw, living foods. She is among other famous naturopaths and alternative medicine advocates such as Herbert Shelton and Viktoras Kulvinskas. Through a diet of raw foods, sprouting, dehydration, and vegetarian and fruitarian living, anchored in weeds and wheatgrass juicing, Dr. Ann Wigmore healed herself and promoted natural healing worldwide. Her legacy continues at the Ann Wigmore Foundation® Living Foods Lifestyle® Retreat Center in San Fidel, New Mexico, where people come to learn the Living Foods LIfestyle and how to prepare living foods

2The two active ingredients in the Agent Orange herbicide combination were equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).The U.S. Department of Defense developed these tactical herbicides specifically to be used in “combat operations.” They were not commercial grade herbicides purchased from chemical companies and sent to Vietnam. Tactical herbicides also were used, tested, and stored in areas outside of Vietnam.
3The Coordinated Framework also generally outlined that biotechnology regulation would be divided among existing federal agencies. The FDA would be responsible for regulating food, feed, food additives, and veterinary drugs, the USDA would be responsible for plant pests, plants, and veterinary biologic, and the EPA for microbial/plant-pesticides, new uses of existing pesticides, novel microorganisms.
"U.S. biotech policy was developed with the goal of promoting the biotech industry. After publication of the Coordinated Framework, the White House initially convened the Biotechnology Science Coordinating Committee (“BSCC”), an inter-agency committee responsible for coordination of science policy. However, when the BSCC was unable to come to agreement, its working materials were forwarded to the President’s Council on Competitiveness, a council formed under the first Bush Administration. The Council on Competitiveness established an Ad Hoc Committee on Scope, which, together with the OSTP, established the scope of agency jurisdiction over biotechnology.
4As of May 2014 Monsanto Market Cap is $59.83 B, ranked #334 on the Global 2000 Leading Companies
5Roundup Ready crops are crops genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Roundup is the brand-name of a herbicide produced by Monsanto. Its active ingredient glyphosate was patented in the 1970s. Roundup is widely used by both people in their backyards and farmers in their fields. Roundup Ready plants are resistant to Roundup, so farmers that plant these seeds must use Roundup to keep other weeds from growing in their fields.
The first Roundup Ready crops were developed in 1996, with the introduction of genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to Roundup. These crops were developed to help farmers control weeds. Because the new crops are resistant to Roundup, the herbicide can be used in the fields to eliminate unwanted foliage. Current Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development.
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