The Benefits of Backyard Chickens

Whether you consider yourself to be urban, rural or somewhere in between, keeping chickens offers a wide array of benefits. As it turns out, chickens are not just fluffy and fun, they are good for you! With nutritional benefits of free range eggs, garden benefits of pest control and fertilizer, and health benefits addressing a variety of issues and disorders, it’s no wonder backyard poultry has gained popularity and led to city ordinances allowing urban flocks. With the rise of the locovore movement, there are more resources out there than ever before with information on how to keep and care for chickens, and plenty of support for getting started. These fine feathered friends are not just a fad, they are an asset to holistic health and sustainable living.

Fight Factory Farming with Farm Fresh Eggs

It can be challenging to make sense of labels on supermarket eggs these days. When terms like “free range,” “cage free,” and “naturally raised” can mean all kinds of different things, it’s important to know what you’re really eating. In factory farming, hens never see the outdoors. They are treated inhumanely, they are fed the cheapest possible diet filled with additives, and they produce eggs that are lower in nutrients.

There are many loopholes that allow farms to use the title “free range” when their hens are anything but. When you raise hens in your back yard, you know exactly where your eggs came from, and you stop supporting factory farming with your grocery dollars. True free-range eggs contain higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A. They are also lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than conventional, store-bought eggs. Really, there is no comparison.

Natural Pest Patrol for the Garden

Rather than using harmful chemicals and pesticides in your yard and garden, use chickens instead. Chickens are known to reduce or eliminate populations of grasshoppers, termites, fire ants, slugs, fleas, scorpions, and even rodents by cleaning up food sources that might attract them. They eat various beetle pests like the Colorado potato beetle that can do a lot of damage. Beneficial nematodes and earthworms live far enough below the soil surface to escape chicken scratching, while the unwanted surface pests are eliminated. Chickens can also do a lot of damage to newly planted gardens with their foraging and dust baths, so it is a good idea to let them range around the outside of the garden or in garden rows with chicken wire protecting the beds.

Chickens are Master Recyclers!

Table scraps, unwanted weeds, and garden clippings can all be cleaned up and broken down into soil nutrients by your chickens. While you can’t feed them everything (coffee grounds, avocado, raw potato, and onions are on the “no” list), you can give your chickens most of your table scraps to supplement their food every day and keep that waste out of the landfill. Whatever scraps you can’t feed your chickens still make a great addition to the compost pile. Chickens are master recyclers because the nutrients in whatever scraps and weeds the chickens eat end up being recycled into an extremely valuable substance for the garden… manure!

Chickens Are an Excellent Source of Organic Fertilizer

Poultry manure contains all the essential nutrients for plant growth and offers a rich source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous in the garden. Because of the high nitrogen level and nutrient balance, chicken manure is considered the best type of manure for garden use.

Chickens fully digest weed seeds, so you won’t have to worry about those weed clippings sprouting back up as you would from horse or steer manure. Having a free source of organic fertilizer that doesn’t have to be packaged or transported is not only valuable to the home gardener, it is an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers and good for the earth. Every time you clean the coop, the resulting byproduct is a fresh pile of manure that can be recycled in your backyard ecosystem.

Since chicken manure is so high in nitrogen and tends to be “hot”, you will want to either compost, make a compost tea, or till your manure into the soil at the end of the gardening season.

Chickens Reduce Stress

Watching chickens lowers stress levels. Studies have shown that tending chickens releases oxytocin, a stress lowering hormone. Not only that, it reduces blood pressure and decreases feelings of loneliness, which further contribute to decreased stress. There is an excellent book by Clea Danaan, Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens: The Way of the Hen, that delves into the backyard chicken movement and the simple, Zen nature of chickens’ existence. Her book discusses how chicken watching increases our mindfulness skills. Caring for chickens gets us outside regularly, and watching their methodical scratching and foraging around the yard slows us down and grounds us in the present, providing a meditative experience that can be difficult to achieve in our busy day-to-day lives, particularly in urban settings.

Chickens as Therapy

Chickens are now being used as therapy animals for people of all ages to address a wide variety of issues including dementia, Alzheimer’s, psychiatric illness, depression, and autism. Their calming effect helps with symptoms like anxiety, emotional distress and social frustration. There is also some good information supporting the role chickens can play for addicts in recovery.

Organizations are starting to bring chickens to nursing homes to use as therapy animals for memory loss patients. Agitation is a major issue for people with dementia, and holding a chicken has been shown to calm them down.

Short attention span is another issue, where watching chickens forage, take dirt baths, and roam around for short periods of time is a mentally engaging activity that can be dropped and picked back up again later as the chickens will still be doing the same thing.

Chickens have also been shown to reduce loneliness and depression for the elderly. For children on the autism spectrum, chickens have been registered as emotional support animals for their soothing effect. Not only that, they have been shown to increase social skills and play skills, enhance conversation abilities, and promote self-care and independent living skills through daily chores.

Not long after my own son was diagnosed with autism by the local school district, we began keeping chickens as backyard pets and he immediately bonded with them. At a time when social interactions were a challenge, he identified with the chickens as his friends, and would spend time with them out in the yard as a self-soothing activity.

Getting Started with Chickens

If you’ve decided chickens are for you, you can start by reading up on websites like Back Yard Chickens, Fresh Eggs Daily, and The Chicken Chick, or books like Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, Keep Chickens! by Barbara Kilarski, and Chick Days by Jenna Woginrich. You may have a friend with their own backyard flock, and you could ask them to show you the ropes. Chicken keepers are usually happy to give a tour of their set up and talk about their chickens (trust me, chicken keepers LOVE to talk about their chickens).

Next it is important to check your local city ordinances or neighborhood regulations to make sure backyard chickens are allowed and to find out the limit. Most cities allow 3-6 hens and no roosters. When you’re ready to get set up, you can visit your local feed store for chicks and supplies. Once you get chickens, your life and garden will be richer for it, and you will reap the rewards of delicious, fresh eggs!

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Why Do So Many Drugs Get Recalled?

It seems like every week we hear about another drug recall, and many people shrug it off as a common occurrence. While some recalls affect very few people, the drug Vioxx was recalled after five years on the market when it was found to double the risk of a heart attack. Unfortunately, more than 38,000 deaths were reported before the connection was made. (1) Recalls are becoming more common, and the numbers are staggering. More than 2,000 drugs were recalled between January 2013 and July 2014, almost as many recalls as the previous nine years combined.

Why Are Drugs Recalled?

Drugs may be recalled for a wide variety of reasons such as mislabeling (incomplete or incorrect directions or the wrong product), poor packaging, contamination, or adverse reactions. (2) The majority of the recalls in 2013 and 2014 were defined as Class II, which is “…use of, or exposure to, a violative product that may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.” (3) In other words, the drugs were contaminated in some way before they hit the consumer market.

What’s Being Done to Help Prevent Recalls?

While many may suspect that drug contamination is nothing new, the 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis, which resulted in over 60 deaths, spurred a revamping of the FDA oversight on drug production and compounding facilities. Many compounding pharmacies were found to have possible microbial contamination, and several manufacturing facilities were caught violating current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) as defined by the FDA. (3) When you figure one compounding pharmacy or manufacturer usually produces a dozen or more drugs in the same facility, it becomes obvious why the recalls are issued.

In the 10 years before the meningitis outbreak, the FDA inspected nearly 200 compounding facilities and found violations of safety conditions in roughly one-third of the businesses. (4) In comparison, after the crackdown, inspections of almost 150 facilities resulted in violations at nearly 90 percent of the businesses.

What Can You Do to Avoid Being a Recall Victim?

While there’s no way to be sure your medicine is safe before a recall is issued, you can be proactive by signing up for email notification of all FDA recalls. (5) If you are notified that a drug you’re taking or a medical device you use has been recalled, don’t panic. Call your doctor immediately and ask what procedure is in place to ensure your health is protected. If the recall is for a dietary supplement, food, or cosmetics, you should return the item to the place of purchase for a refund.  If you believe your health has been compromised due to a recalled product, you should see your medical provider as soon as possible for any necessary testing.

You can also be proactive in keeping the FDA on its toes when it comes to inspections of pharmacy compounding facilities and drug manufacturing plants. Contact your local congressman and request they keep the pressure on drug manufacturers to produce the drugs we use in a safe and violation-free environment.

Sources:

(1)  The Deadly Cost of Product Recalls – Results You Deserve

(2) What is a drug recall? – Web M.D.  

(3) Number of Drug Recalls Surges – RAPS

(4)  Compounding Pharmacy Recalls – U.S.A. Today



SB 277 signed into law by CA Governor to deny vaccine exemptions for school children

The vaccine discussion just got more complicated as California governor Jerry Brown signed SB 277. Just one day after lawmakers sent him the bill, Brown signed it into law, eliminating all personal and religious exemptions for vaccines for California’s schoolchildren.

It defies common sense. It negates basic human rights. But Governor Brown has chosen to take away the right to exempt children from vaccinations for religious and personal (philosophical ) reasons for anyone who wants their child to attend school.

Even though California is only the third state to eliminate these vaccine exemptions, they are the largest and most public. Since the initial proposal of the bill by Democratic state senator Richard Pan, protests and petitions against it have been rampant, and opponents say that they are planning to use every avenue available to them to have the law repealed.

This new bill is a change from Governor Brown’s previous stand on the issue when he left religious exemptions intact but required parents to speak to a health professional before obtaining an exemption. With 67% of California’s adults in favor of the bill and increased pressure from the vaccine and pharmaceutical lobbyists, this bill is not a measured and thoughtful response. It is a frantic scramble after a very public, but very overblown, health scare. Unfortunately, many lawmakers have not fully considered the consequences of their decision.

Opponents of the legislation claim it restricts parents’ rights to chose their children’s care. Opponents vowed to challenge the law immediately.

“We need to wait until someone actually gets thrown out of school until we can challenge it,” an action that will not occur until after the bill takes effect in 2016, said Christina Hildebrand, founder of the group A Voice For Choice. “But we will likely have a referendum on it.” – Sacramento Bee

California is not the only state that denies exemptions. Currently Mississippi and West Virginia also deny exemptions.

SB 277 Questions

When does the law take effect?

On January of 2016 schools will “…ensure kids entering kindergarten and seventh grade are vaccinated in July 2016, ahead of the 2016-17 school year.” – Sacramento Bee
Required Vaccines

  • Diphtheria
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib meningitis),
  • Measles, mumps
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Tetanus
  • Hepatitis B
  • Chickenpox

Can children keep personal belief exemptions they already have?

If a child is currently exempted (or gains an exemption before the law goes into effect in 2016), that exemption remains in effect until the child enters the seventh grade. No child can enter kindergarten or the seventh grade without vaccinations unless they obtain a medical exemption. Any unvaccinated child with an exemption who enters the seventh grade before the law goes into effect will not have to be vaccinated.

Are medical exceptions allowed?

Medical exemptions are allowed at a doctors discretion. The doctor can take earlier responses to a vaccine into account as well as family history, including reactions of siblings.

Conclusion

Parents are forced to vaccinate their children if they want their child to attend school. The mounting evidence of corruption and careless abandonment of all ethical and moral standards of the pharmaceutical companies who make vaccines is appalling. They recommend an outrageous number of vaccines for our children in the name of preventative medicine while lying about the risks involved. Children are dying all over the world and other countries are refusing our vaccines due to death and injury, but here in America we keep hearing the mantra, “Vaccines are safe and effective.”

Big Pharma is running the show, honing the message, and pulling the strings. They own the media. Mainstream news is afraid to speak out due to the real threat of loss of revenue. Government is just a puppet, pulled along and pushed around by propaganda and our representatives are shamefully bought off with dirty money. How many more children will be neurologically damaged or killed while their parents feel they have no choice but to comply?

Wake up America. Something is very, very wrong when corporations rule the nation, not the people.
We must learn more about the very real dangers of vaccinations and why they are so much more dangerous now for the current generation. To learn more about the flu shot and the MMR, check out the sources below.

Detoxification is essential after vaccination. Learn more with how to detoxify from vaccinations. To learn more about states’ vaccine exemptions, click here.

Further Reading:


States That Allow Religious and Philosophical Exemptions for School Vaccinations (Map)

California is the third state to remove all personal exemptions for vaccinations in schools with the passing and signing of SB 277. At the time of this writing, California and the other two states that you see below in black also have no personal exemption choices for public schools. States in the gray color have religious vaccine exemption legislation at the time of this article’s last update. Lavender colored states allow for both personal and religious exemptions.

Be sure to check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children, and also learn more about the MMR Vaccine and the Flu Shot. 

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Further Reading:

 



Five Best Superfoods for Gut Health

Indigestion can seriously mess you up. I mean, think about it. One of the most important systems that your body has isn’t working properly and starts glitching. There’s going to be some inner turmoil.

If you’re prone to indigestion, you know what I’m talking about. Yeah, you might want to leave it a minute there before you provoke the stink-o-palypse.

So, you want to sort that out ASAP.

Where do you go? You have the option of popping down to your local drugstore, but let’s face it- that binge of chips and cheese you had last night probably has a lot to do with it.

No, this is between you and your gut. There’s no reason to get anyone else involved. So start at the root and get these five superfoods down your chute. They are guaranteed to save you from the embarrassment of the century. Don’t say we never did anything for you.

Moringa

Moringa is one of those old-as-time secrets that we were just extremely slow at catching onto. Indeed, we now know that it’s probably been used as a medicine for indigestion for a millennia. That’s a ridiculously long time to think about.

Because of its high fiber content, it works like a mop in your intestines (and for the boys, around your colon) to clean up any of that extra grunge left over from a greasy diet. Not to mention its anti-bacterial composition, great for ousting any unwanted visitors that get in the way of healthy digestion.

Extra gut perk? Moringa’s packed with isothiocyanates that’ve been shown to act as a natural antibiotic against H. pylori, a pathogen that’s a major cause of gastritis, both gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer.

Aloe Vera

Oh, aloe vera. You’re probably more used to smearing this on you whenever you get a bad cut, but aloe vera also has surprisingly good traction inside the body. It contains things called mucopolyaccharides (we’re not even going to bother offering a pronunciation), which are present in every cell of our body and have a ton of vital jobs.

Among these are helping our digestive tract to absorb nutrients, getting body fluids to flow smoothly, and building a wall in the intestines which stops toxic and harmful chemicals right in their tracks. And it’s proven, too; a 2004 study showed that ulcerative colitis patients saw a significant improvement after taking the stuff twice a day for four weeks.

Chlorella

Chlorella is a kind of freshwater algae, originating from East Asia. It’s set apart from other algae thanks to its detoxifying agent, which helps to remove harmful substances from the body- particularly around the liver. Its heavy fiber content helps to toughen up the lining of the intestines and fight constipation head on, keeping your bowels regular and your body feeling feeling much lighter.

Kefir

When people talk about kefir, they’re usually talking about milk with kefir grains added in- known quite simply as milk kefir. But it’s the added grains that make kefir especially beneficial. They work essentially the same as yoghurt- adding more “good” bacteria to crowd the bad, but they have a lot more beneficial qualities than your standard, store-bought yoghurt. They help to soothe inflamed intestinal cells whilst the collection of friendly microflora found sends in new recruits for the battle against harmful gut flora.

Kimchi

Kimchi (pronounced kim-chee) is the national dish of Korea and has seen more of the universe than most of us will ever see. In fact, there was a type of kimchi bred by scientists for the sole purpose of being safe to eat in space!

Loaded with anti-oxidants and with enough fiber to leave your intestines sparkly clean, kimchi offers pure benefits with almost no calories or fat to speak of. Kimchi goes through a process of fermentation that creates helpful bacteria. One of the star players in kimchi is lactobacillus, which helps regulate gut flora.

We all have moments where our digestive system just doesn’t want to cooperate, but you don’t have to put up with it. Changing our diet is probably the most effective way we have of treating indigestion, since a lot of the time the reason our tracts are taking a hissy fit is because we’re not giving them enough of the good stuff!

Further Reading:
Recommended Supplements:


35 Things You Could Do With Coconut Oil – From Body Care to Health to Household

It wasn’t that long ago when we were told saturated fats were bad for us, that they clogged the arteries. Well, new studies have shown that was a myth; coconut oil is good for your health. Common sense should have told us this a long time ago. After all, societies that eat a lot of coconut are populated with some of the healthiest people on the planet.

Now that we are no longer afraid to include it in our diet, we have found we can eat the meat, drink the water, turn it into milk, and squeeze out the oil. Every part is a great source of nutrition. But that’s not the only benefit.

Coconut oil is also antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. It has a world of uses. Here are a few:

Coconut Oil and Body Care

  1. Oil pulling. Swish a tablespoon or so of coconut oil through your mouth for 15-20 minutes the first thing in the morning. This is a great practice for oral health and many claim other health benefits as well (oral health recipes).
  2. Brush your teeth with it. Use it plain, add a few drops of essential oil (peppermint, cinnamon, tea tree, oregano), or make your own DIY toothpaste.
  3. Use as a carrier oil. Most of the essential oils are too strong to use full strength. They should be diluted with a carrier oil and coconut oil works very well for this purpose. Just add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice to a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub it on your skin (essential oils for infections).
  4. Use as a moisturizer. Plain coconut oil is great for the skin. It is said to lighten dark spots and help prevent stretch marks.
  5. Make-up remover. Removes all make-up, including eye make-up.
  6. Diaper cream. Use on baby’s butt!
  7. Hair conditioner. Rub it into dry hair and leave it in for a few hours (shampoo conspiracy).
  8. Use as a shave cream.
  9. Use as a deodorant (deodorant recipe).

Coconut Oil and Health Care

  1. Nail fungus. Add 5 drops of tea tree oil to 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Rub into nails (kill fungal infections).
  2. Personal lubricant. Does not disrupt natural vaginal balance.
  3. Cracked heels. But remember this can be a sign of diabetes. Check your blood sugar and change your diet!
  4. Use after the burn cools off.
  5. Bug bites. Stops the itching and promotes healing.
  6. Chapped lips. Instant moisture. And it tastes good!
  7. Use on abrasions. Helps skin heal faster. (Also for perineum post birth).
  8. Stops the burning and itching.
  9. Prevents and may help reverse Alzheimer’s.
  10. Kills topical yeast infections.
  11. Kills lice.
  12. Soothes eczema and psoriasis.
  13. Helps to heal acne.

Pet Care With Coconut Oil

  1. Dry or cracked paws
  2. Dry noses.
  3. Hot spots.
  4. Rashes
  5. Cuts or abrasions.
  6. Helps prevent parasitic infections.
  7. Kills yeast and fungal infections.
  8. Glossy coat.
  9. Better digestion (dog food recipe).

Note: For dogs, one teaspoon per 10 lbs. of weight (or one tablespoon per 30 lbs.). Start with ¼ of the amount and work up to the full amount over a 3-4 week period. Mix it into food.

Household Uses for Coconut Oil

  1. Season cast iron pots and pans.
  2. Polish metals.
  3. Polish furniture.
  4. Use on scuffed leather.

There are many more health benefits from eating coconut oil. But remember to always choose organic virgin coconut oil.

It’s great for cooking and it takes very little to sauté a stir-fry. But you can add coconut oil to smoothies, use it instead of butter or margarine, replace other oils in recipes, or just eat a spoonful. Yes, it’s that good for you!

Check out Fight Cavities And Gingivitis Naturally With Homemade DIY Oral Health for a coconut oil based toothpaste and more info about oil pulling. And let us know int he comments below what you use coconut oil for. Enjoy!

Recommended Reading:
Recommended Products:
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GMO Facts and Arguments

There has been a debate raging about GMOs for a long time now. On one side of the debate is the idea that genetic engineering is progress for humanity, a natural extension of more traditional breeding techniques. The other side believes genetically modified foods are unsafe for human consumption and harmful to the environment.

Biotech companies claim that genetic modification yields more precise control over artificial selection. Studies funded by the industry consistently demonstrate safety, but only over the short term. For years, Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, and other biotech based agricultural companies have told the public that there is nothing to worry about. Genetic modification will be the technology that will improve food in every conceivable way. Food will be more nutritious. Crops will be more vigorous, more disease resistant, etc. There are literally thousands of studies demonstrating GMO safety. Scrutiny reveals these short-term studies are funded by or performed by the industry itself.

As more independent scientists complete long-term studies, a very different picture has emerged about the safety of GMOs and their many other drawbacks. When these studies are not funded by industry, the results show us an uncontrollable, uncontainable, and dangerous technology with serious health hazards.

Seralini’s Research Broke New Ground

One of the first studies to ring the alarm was a 2-year, long-term chronic toxicity study. Don’t believe the hype churned out by biotech that criticizes the Seralini study until you take the time to look into the defense of their methods. The Seralini study was actually a well-designed and well-conducted study. If we are to accept the argument that Séralini’s study does not provide substantial evidence that genetically modified food is dangerous, then we must also conclude that the short-term toxicity studies funded by the agriculture industry (primarily Monsanto) on GM foods cannot prove that they are safe. They are in fact the same type of study, conducted the same way,  even using the same type of rats. The only significant difference was the duration of the study. Seralini’s study showed how the previous 90-day studies are misleading as 90 days is not long enough to test for long-term effects like organ damage, cancer, and premature death. The first tumors appeared in the rats after four months. This study was able to distinguish the effects of GM food from GM food grown with allotted pesticides. The results provide strong evidence supporting the claim that genetically modified food, especially genetically modified food grown with Roundup, is highly toxic and unfit for animal or human consumption.

New Studies on GMOs

There are other studies showing that GMOs are even worse than what was originally feared. Dr. Kruger’s research shows how chronically ill people have higher glyphosate levels than healthy people. Dr. Swanson has linked glyphosate use with America’s deteriorating health. Dr. Young’s work showed how Roundup, at surprisingly low amounts, is an endocrine disruptor in human cells. It doesn’t take much Roundup to disrupt hormones; the levels of Roundup allowed in municipal drinking water is enough to cause harm. There are many other studies that are showing other problems with GMOs. Independent science is coming to a different conclusion than industry-funded science. That doesn’t seem all that surprising though, does it?

Even Short-Term Studies (When Independently Done) are Demonstrating Real Safety Issues with GMOs

Dr. Oraby fed rats a diet of GM soy and GM corn for 1-3 months. Despite the short duration of the study, the study ended with a surprising number of dead and unhealthy rats, except of course the control group of rats who weren’t fed GMO food. The damage done to these rats from short-term GMO consumption was staggering. This study showed a wide range of toxic effects, including DNA damage, abnormal sperm, blood changes, and damage to the liver, the kidneys and testes – irrefutable evidence that GM foods are hazardous to health.

Most Americans have been eating GMOs for a lot longer than three months. The only reason we’re not all dead is because GM foods are not the only food  we eat. If 100% of all of our foods were genetically modified, our overall health as a nation would be even worse. As a nation, the U.S. is in very poor health, and we have every reason to believe that genetically modified foods are a big part of the problem.

A Controlled Dialog

For years, biotech has tried to frame the argument for genetic modification as one between the knowledgeable and the unknowledgeable. In their efforts to change their image, they have even managed to recruit to aid of Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson to advocate for the science of genetic engineering. Bill and Neil portray the critics of GMO technology as superstitious and ignorant. They respond to the criticisms of GMO technology as if they were addressing irrational fears. When Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson talk GMOs, they make all manner of bold pronouncements declaring GMOs safe and wonderful.

It would be nice to believe that Bill Nye The Science Guy and Neil deGrasse Tyson would never accept money from biotech to promote GM technology, but Monsanto is a master of lobbying and payoffs. It would have been good for business to buy off Bill and Neil. Thankfully, not every scientist is for sale.

By never addressing the evidence provided by long-term studies, independent studies, or the concerns of numerous prominent scientists, biotech furthers the misconception that they are those in the know and everyone else is misinformed. In truth, the science isn’t all that complicated. Anyone can come to understand GMOs well enough to become informed.

The public sees both Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson as spokesmen for science. Unfortunately, neither of them are as broadly trained in science as most people think. They speak on a wide variety of scientific topics, so they give the impression that they just about know it all. In truth, there has not been anyone knowledgeable enough to fill Carl Sagan’s shoes since his death, though Bill and Neil have certainly tried. They give the impression of being knowledgeable in all fields of science, as their mentor Carl Sagan actually was. (Carl Sagan was adamantly opposed to genetic engineering and he had advanced training in biology). Science needs a spokesperson who’s not for sale.

95% of the American Public and Many Scientists Want GMO Foods Labeled

This is not a debate of irrational fears versus a pragmatic technology. This is an argument among scientists and governments. There are those scientists who are employed by the U.S. government and biotech, and then there’s just about everyone else. On the issue of GMO labeling, most of us are in agreement. Many countries all over the world ban the cultivation of GMOs, and many countries mandate that GMOs be labeled. The debate went global a long time ago. While the rest of the world bans GMOs, Americans have been unsuccessful in just getting GM foods labeled.

Scientists have been speaking out against GMOs for some time now. For years they have been pointing out GMO failures in yield, toxicity, safety, and containment. Recently the World Health Organization named Roundup a carcinogen. One of the most common genetic modifications is the modification making crops Roundup ready and immune to the Roundup herbicide. In light of the health concerns raised by skeptical scientists, you would think that the U.S. would be scaling back on its use of Roundup and other suspected or known toxic chemicals in agriculture. Instead of scaling back on the use of pesticides, these kinds of chemicals are being used more widely.

Before the harvest of conventional oats, wheat, and other crops, Roundup is often applied in large amounts, dramatically increasing the American consumers’ exposure to this  carcinogen. The U.S. government has now approved the use of Agent Orange ready (24-D) soy and corn. No one should consume these chemicals in their food, yet the government says it’s okay. Common sense says otherwise. If common sense fails some of us, there is plenty of evidence and hundreds of experts to fall back on.

Scientists All Over the World Have Called For a Moratorium on All Genetic Engineering

Scientists such as Prof. Ruth Hubbard, Geneticist, Harvard University, USA and 814 other scientists have written an open letter to governments and international forums. These prominent scientists are extremely concerned about the hazards that GMOs pose to biodiversity and food safety. They are “extremely concerned” about the risks GMOs pose to human health and animal health. Experts all over the world are saying it’s time to change our agricultural practices.

Patents are meant to protect property rights, but the patents on genetically modified foods have been used to take farmers’ lands away from their rightful owners. Instead of protecting the freedom to own property, these patents are eroding the rights of property owners.

GM pollen from GM crops can travel miles. It is commonplace for birds, insects, and weather to carry GM pollen and seeds. Animals and natural processes can spread patented genes onto other farms. When this happens, hapless farmers are sued, and contrary to all common sense, they are the ones who usually lose in court.

GM crops cross-pollinate with other crops so voraciously that we can’t seem to get rid of some unapproved GM varieties. Genetically modified wheat keeps popping up in farmers’ fields across the country though it was ordered to be completely destroyed 14 years ago, way back in 2001.

The current techniques used to genetically modify foods are unreliable, uncontrollable, and unpredictable. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of unwanted mutations result from genetic engineering. These can result in new allergens or toxins, and even new viruses. This makes sense when you consider that GMO foods are made to either be immune to poison or to create their own poisons or both. Traditional breeding techniques are simply more controllable and predictable.

This is an argument made by thousands of farmers and scientists.

These Are Just Some of the Reasons GM Foods Should Not Qualify as Inventions

GM crops are neither necessary nor beneficial to agriculture. There have been many failures of genetically modified crops. Now that independent research is being done on GM crops, the picture of a failed technology emerges from the research.

  • Genetically modified crops have produced inferior yields when compared to their unmodified counterparts.
  • GM crops have been shown to have poor disease resistance.
  • GM crops engineered to contain BT toxins kill beneficial insects such as bees, lacewings, swallowtails, and monarch butterflies. (Monsanto claims they are concerned about this, but so far greenwashing has been their only response).
  • Glufosinate causes birth defects in mammals.
  • Fruit abortion (a failure of fruit production) is a problem.
  • Glyphosate has been linked to cancer.
  • Farmers are experiencing poor financial returns.
  • GMOs violate farmers rights.
  • GMOs violate human rights and basic human dignity. (The right to know and control what we put into our bodies is a basic and fundamental human right).

The 815 scientists who wrote their open letter to the world are calling for support for research and development of non-corporate sustainable agriculture. Much of this invaluable research has already been done. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren have developed sustainable, non-corporate organic agriculture. They can farm anywhere and their yields are amazing. Their techniques are called permaculture, which means permanent culture. If agriculture does not become sustainable, it will not last, and we will not survive.

Profitable and Sustainable Are Not Always the Same Thing

The biotech industry would have the public believe that they are improving upon life through genetic modification and doing it sustainably. We are told that the benefits outweigh any risks, or even less believable, that genetic engineering is a risk-free technology.

When put into practice, the benefits accrue to Big Agriculture while the costs are paid for by the consumer and society in the form of higher prices, toxic food, and environmental degradation.

The costs of genetically modifying food is also paid by farmers. They face the threat of GMO contamination, pesticide runoff, soil degradation, and higher seed prices. In a successful attempt to manipulate the market, biotech corporations have been buying seed companies for some time. This enables biotech companies to make non-genetically modified seeds more expensive, and harder to obtain after they genetically modify a particular crop such as corn. Non GMO corn seed became much more expensive in North America after Monsanto produced GM corn seed. Even though this is a violation of our antitrust laws, biotech companies are still getting away with it. The same thing is happening in Spain. After allowing GMO cultivation, the variety of maize available to Spanish farmers has declined dramatically. Rising corn prices are sure to follow.

In a successful attempt to manipulate the market, biotech corporations have been buying up seed companies for some time, as the government looks the other way, ignoring anti-trust concerns. As these giant companies monopolize the marketplace, they are able to raise seed prices for both GM and non-GM seeds. When they produce a new GM crop, the seeds for the same non-GM crop become more expensive and harder to obtain. For example,  non-GM corn seed became much more expensive in North America after Monsanto produced GM corn seed. The same thing is happening in Spain. After allowing GMO cultivation, the variety of maize available to Spanish farmers declined dramatically. Rising corn prices are sure to follow.

Genetic engineering is not what Big Agriculture claims it is, and it will never do what they claim it will.

What are Believable Coincidences and What are Unbelievable Coincidences?

Health problems are rising along with with increased GMO consumption. Many will argue that is a coincidence, but a firm belief in coincidence is what biotech has been counting on since the technology was released to the public.

There are no labels, which mean no liability and no traceability. That’s only a part of their protection. You can’t sue Monsanto for harm caused from their products. They enjoy special legal protection that they lobbied and paid big money for. (That’s right American politicians are for sale, or didn’t you know?) These legal protections could be taken away from them if more of us would question these coincidences and investigate these correlations.

It will take an overwhelming majority of us demanding change in order for change to happen. The Vietnam War ended under the intense sustained pressure of the American people. That wasn’t what the military industrial complex wanted – so it was an uphill battle. This will be an uphill battle as well.

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