Recently I read a book titled 'Thugs, Drugs and the War on Bugs'. In this book I found some very interesting tidbits regarding the polio epidemic that plagued our nation during the first half of the 20th century. There seem to be many cases in which many people developed symptoms of polio but never contracted the virus itself. How can that happen? What other factors contributed to the Polio epidemic?
The answer lies possibly with an outbreak in the Phillipines in the late 1940s. The outbreak was contained on US military bases and did not affect the surrounding villages. So with Polio being so contagious, supposedly, why then were the locals not afflicted, especially since many locals were frequently on the base facilities as either employees or contractors for the military? Logic would dictate that if the Polio virus were on the bases as the epidemic would suggest it was, the villagers would also be afflicted. I'm not aware of any racist viruses but it would appear that if the polio virus were present in the PI in 1948 it is my contention that the locals would be equally afflicted if not more severely. What happened?
DDT was a chemical pesticide that was sprayed on the military bases exclusively as a means of controlling the mosquito population on the military bases in the PI. The locals, being used to the irritating little bugs had other more effective means of dealing with them so had no need to have their villages sprayed with pesticides. All military bases in the PI had this outbreak each of them isolated from the other bases by miles and miles with villages in between. If this outbreak were truly a virus, logic would suggest that the villages in and around the American bases would have suffered outbreaks of their own as well. OK, so if the locals were on the bases why didn't they also suffer from the 'exposure' the Americans did? Quite simply because the DDT was sprayed over the residential areas or base housing where the locals were not allowed and where the outbreaks were most prominent.
Meanwhile stateside, DDT was being used everywhere on everything from grass to crops. While the polio virus got blamed for this outbreak DDT slowly found itself banned and off the market and quietly disappeared from use. Coincidentally where DDT was banned polio miraculously ceased to exist. This correlation may also have been the reason that many if not all of the individuals afflicted with polio did not have the virus present in their system..while they suffered the disease supposedly caused by a virus.
This is a question that needs to be investigated more deeply. Why did polio disappear only after DDT was banned? Why did most of not all polio victims lack the presence of the actual virus in spite of suffering from Polio? Also, why is it that polio is on the rise in non developed countries? Is it possible that DDT has found its way back into the market place in unregulated markets?
It is a curious question that I'd like you to ponder.
Dr. B
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Food Allergies and GMO foods.
When I first heard of genetically modified foods I was in college and more concerned with keeping my GPA up than I was of watching the world political landscape change. I did of course hear about genetically modified foods and also some of the problems that eating these foods might create. Over time the GMO question ebbed and flowed as many of these topics do when displaced by world changing events like the wars we found ourselves engaged in.
Apparently while our collective attention was focused on issues abroad, GMO food items quietly gained prominence at the American dinner table. We of course did not notice this change because none of these foods are labeled as GMO..like they are in Europe. So while GMO products gained a foothold in the American market Europe began banning GMO items by creating GMO free zones. What do they know that we have yet to learn?
The United States are virtually devoid of these zones. They do exist but they are few and far between. One would think that here in California, the bread basket of the world, there would be vast expanses of land allocated for GMO free crops. The agriculture industry is the largest industry in California and the vast majority of farm land is corporate owned. It is the one major industry that cannot afford to leave California. The San Joaquin valley is the richest farm land in the western hemisphere in which everything you can imagine is grown. Most of it genetically modified to make it pest resistant, weed resistant, drought resistant and possibly nutrient resistant as well.
Ever notice how many people there are who simply cannot eat certain foods? Have you noticed how that number seems to have increased in recent years? I have noticed a huge spike in this number in the past decade alone. Our national obesity epidemic, how much of this health problem can be attributed to genetically altered foods? Is it possible that by altering the DNA of these seeds, that we have created a source of nutrition that the body finds toxic or simply can no longer digest and so converts it to fat because it has no place else to go?
It has been in the past ten years that these genetically modified foods have gained position in the market place and have begun to displace naturally occurring or conventionally bred crops. It has also been in the past decade that obesity and other health concerns have risen to prominence in America. Is there a correlation or is it just dumb luck that we have become the fattest and most lethargic population on the planet?
We are the only species on earth that has the intellectual capacity to understand DNA manipulation and yet we are too stupid to leave well enough alone. I is the same with nuclear weapons we know how to blow up our enemies...but we do not think about the consequences until we find ourselves on the brink of absolute destruction before we consider...hey maybe mutually assured destruction isn't such a good idea. Ya think?!!
What harm are these GMO products doing to us? How many diseases are we now suffering from as a result of poor nutrition because our bodies cannot digest these new bug, weed and drought resistant foods? We need to each take a stand and tell these well intended yet short sighted buffoons to leave our food alone.
Dr. B
Apparently while our collective attention was focused on issues abroad, GMO food items quietly gained prominence at the American dinner table. We of course did not notice this change because none of these foods are labeled as GMO..like they are in Europe. So while GMO products gained a foothold in the American market Europe began banning GMO items by creating GMO free zones. What do they know that we have yet to learn?
The United States are virtually devoid of these zones. They do exist but they are few and far between. One would think that here in California, the bread basket of the world, there would be vast expanses of land allocated for GMO free crops. The agriculture industry is the largest industry in California and the vast majority of farm land is corporate owned. It is the one major industry that cannot afford to leave California. The San Joaquin valley is the richest farm land in the western hemisphere in which everything you can imagine is grown. Most of it genetically modified to make it pest resistant, weed resistant, drought resistant and possibly nutrient resistant as well.
Ever notice how many people there are who simply cannot eat certain foods? Have you noticed how that number seems to have increased in recent years? I have noticed a huge spike in this number in the past decade alone. Our national obesity epidemic, how much of this health problem can be attributed to genetically altered foods? Is it possible that by altering the DNA of these seeds, that we have created a source of nutrition that the body finds toxic or simply can no longer digest and so converts it to fat because it has no place else to go?
It has been in the past ten years that these genetically modified foods have gained position in the market place and have begun to displace naturally occurring or conventionally bred crops. It has also been in the past decade that obesity and other health concerns have risen to prominence in America. Is there a correlation or is it just dumb luck that we have become the fattest and most lethargic population on the planet?
We are the only species on earth that has the intellectual capacity to understand DNA manipulation and yet we are too stupid to leave well enough alone. I is the same with nuclear weapons we know how to blow up our enemies...but we do not think about the consequences until we find ourselves on the brink of absolute destruction before we consider...hey maybe mutually assured destruction isn't such a good idea. Ya think?!!
What harm are these GMO products doing to us? How many diseases are we now suffering from as a result of poor nutrition because our bodies cannot digest these new bug, weed and drought resistant foods? We need to each take a stand and tell these well intended yet short sighted buffoons to leave our food alone.
Dr. B
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
GMOs and Gluten sensitivity and more.....
Just today I was enlightened with a tidbit of information that I found a bit disturbing. We've all heard of persons who are gluten intolerant. The numbers of these persons seems to be growing as is the market for gluten free products. Have you ever eaten a gluten free pizza crust? Ew thuts suh gruss. That is Californian teen speak for 'Ew that is so gross'. To say it properly you have to make a face like you've just shoved your nose into somebodies sweaty armpit, cock your head to one side and just say it like its spelled.
ANYWAY... I am a huge fan of crusty, chewy breads and especially hand tossed pizza crust. It is the working of the dough that creates the fibrous elastic bonds 'gluten' that makes these classic bread items so desirable. Who wants a wimpy pizza crust? What is so bad about gluten? Nothing except that it is more difficult to digest than other wheat items because of its structure. So 'is it the gluten itself or is it the source of wheat' that makes gluten such a problem? I'm betting it's the source.
Today I was told of a chef whose mother is gluten sensitive who bought flour from a GMO free zone in Italy. He made her a gluten laden feast with heavy, crusty breads and goodies that make eating breads enjoyable to eat but painful for those allergic to gluten. You'd think that being gluten intolerant she'd have a serious reaction to all that gluten. Apparently because the flour used to make these items came from a GMO free zone she did not have any reaction what so ever..none, so enjoyed every bite without consequence.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are genetically modified seeds that we have been planting and eating for several decades now. Many seed companies have patents on seeds and even claim patent rights on the seeds from the produce you may have grown in your own garden. So if you didn't get their permission to plant a garden with the seeds from the produce you grew with the original seeds you purchased, they could, with a court order, take your garden and sue you for patent infringement. I have not personally heard of this happening but the idea that it could happen strikes me as insane and wrong.
Not only has corporate profit raided your personal garden, these genetically altered seeds have become potential health hazards by creating DNA based allergies such as the gluten intolerance mentioned above. What other health issues have become part of our national landscape? What syndromes can be laid at the feet of these genetically altered food items? So not only do we have to avoid eating processed foods we have to be careful about which fresh fruits and vegetables we eat and where they come from. In California we have several GMO free zones but they are few and far between, even in California where everything is organic including legally cultivated weed. However, organic does not mean GMO free.
Locate a GMO free zone near you if you can and buy your produce there and if you are into growing your own...locate a GMO free seed retailer near you and ask for GMO free seeds. Wellness is your birthright and should not be infringed upon by corporate greed.
Dr. B
Addendum: Monsanto the seed manufacturer has been suing farmers for using their seeds without permission. Seeds that were taken from the produce they grew from the original seeds they purchased. So it has been happening, which is in my view simply insane and wrong on so many different levels. I thought this was America not the former Soviet Union. .
ANYWAY... I am a huge fan of crusty, chewy breads and especially hand tossed pizza crust. It is the working of the dough that creates the fibrous elastic bonds 'gluten' that makes these classic bread items so desirable. Who wants a wimpy pizza crust? What is so bad about gluten? Nothing except that it is more difficult to digest than other wheat items because of its structure. So 'is it the gluten itself or is it the source of wheat' that makes gluten such a problem? I'm betting it's the source.
Today I was told of a chef whose mother is gluten sensitive who bought flour from a GMO free zone in Italy. He made her a gluten laden feast with heavy, crusty breads and goodies that make eating breads enjoyable to eat but painful for those allergic to gluten. You'd think that being gluten intolerant she'd have a serious reaction to all that gluten. Apparently because the flour used to make these items came from a GMO free zone she did not have any reaction what so ever..none, so enjoyed every bite without consequence.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are genetically modified seeds that we have been planting and eating for several decades now. Many seed companies have patents on seeds and even claim patent rights on the seeds from the produce you may have grown in your own garden. So if you didn't get their permission to plant a garden with the seeds from the produce you grew with the original seeds you purchased, they could, with a court order, take your garden and sue you for patent infringement. I have not personally heard of this happening but the idea that it could happen strikes me as insane and wrong.
Not only has corporate profit raided your personal garden, these genetically altered seeds have become potential health hazards by creating DNA based allergies such as the gluten intolerance mentioned above. What other health issues have become part of our national landscape? What syndromes can be laid at the feet of these genetically altered food items? So not only do we have to avoid eating processed foods we have to be careful about which fresh fruits and vegetables we eat and where they come from. In California we have several GMO free zones but they are few and far between, even in California where everything is organic including legally cultivated weed. However, organic does not mean GMO free.
Locate a GMO free zone near you if you can and buy your produce there and if you are into growing your own...locate a GMO free seed retailer near you and ask for GMO free seeds. Wellness is your birthright and should not be infringed upon by corporate greed.
Dr. B
Addendum: Monsanto the seed manufacturer has been suing farmers for using their seeds without permission. Seeds that were taken from the produce they grew from the original seeds they purchased. So it has been happening, which is in my view simply insane and wrong on so many different levels. I thought this was America not the former Soviet Union. .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)