In October, the Mexican government will require warning labels on the front of sugary, processed junk food describing the health risks of choosing these products. The regulation as passed in October of 2019, and now the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Switzerland are asking the country to delay implementing those labels. The U.S. and the E.U. are asking for 2 years, Canada is asking for a year, and Switzerland has not specified a date for the postponement to end. COVID-19 is cited as a reason for the delay. Additionally, the United States delegation questioned Mexico’s new initiative at a World Trade Organization meeting in May, including statements that the new regulations…

…may be more trade restrictive than necessary…” and “may not be based on robust scientific evidence…” and “does not appear to consider relevant international standards…” and “may contribute to consumer confusion….”

U.S. delegation to the WTO, May 2020

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Mexico has been dealing with a severe obesity epidemic for over twenty years, a problem that was exacerbated when NAFTA allowed an increased amount of processed junk food to flood the country. Mexico is the most overweight nation in Latin America, where 64% of people have a body mass index of more than 25%, and as of 2016, 10% of the population has diabetes. In 2017, diabetes claimed the lives of twice of 80,000 Mexicans, twice the number of those killed in homicides. Front of package nutritional labels have been endorsed by the World Health Organization, and Mexico plans to also ban cartoon characters targeted at children from junk food.

This is not the first time the United States has aligned itself with the junk food industry in opposition to public health initiatives. The much-criticized NAFTA, which bears responsibility for the increased access to junk food in Mexico, was renegotiated in 2018. In those negotiations, the Office of the United States Trade Representative pushed to keep Mexico and Canada from being able to add labels denoting there was a hazard in consuming a product.

Mexican regulations requiring mandatory labels that describe the health risks of processed foods on the front of processed products are due to be implemented in October, and major governments like the U.S., Canada, and the European Union are now asking Mexico to delay the implementation of the rule.

Reuters obtained information from a Mexican government official who wished to remain anonymous. According to them, the Mexican government intends to continue with its plans.

“We told them there would be no additional time.”

Reuters

The government official also indicated that major food companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestle were also asking for the regulations to be delayed.

More than a million people have died from coronavirus according to a count from John Hopkins University. The database for the coronavirus death count comes from the WHO, the U.S. and European CDCs, China’s national health authority, and other sources.

Many health officials say that the death toll is likely significantly higher. It’s thought that countries such as Syria and Iran have significantly underreported death rates. That being said, there are also several cases of countries marking deaths as COVID deaths in any case where a patient tests positive for COVID-19 at the time of death, even if it is not the leading cause of death.

“When you count anything, you can’t count it perfectly but I can assure you that the current numbers are likely an underestimate of the true toll of COVID.”

Global coronavirus deaths pass 1m with no sign rate is slowing

Related: Coronavirus Supplement Review

It’s extremely difficult to get an accurate worldwide death count. The U.S holds more than one-fifth of all deaths, more than any other country in the world, followed by Brazil and India, respectively. As of now, the virus shows no signs of slowing. Many countries that were thought to have cases under control are now having second waves. India is currently recording the most amount of new cases a day.

Health officials think it is likely that the death count may reach two million before a vaccine is readily available.

If you’re worried about coronavirus, the best thing you can do is focus on maintaining a healthy immune system through a healthy gut microbiome. Check out this article to learn how to heal the gut.

In a recent appearance on the New York Times podcast “Sway” with Kara Swisher, Elon Musk reported that neither he nor his children would be getting a coronavirus vaccine when it’s readily available. “I’m not at risk, and neither are my kids,” Musk said on Monday. Musk also called the national lockdown a “no-win situation” that has “diminished my faith in humanity”.

This statement from Musk comes after months of criticism on how the U.S has handled the virus and the lockdown. He has previously referred to the coronavirus as “dumb” and called widespread lockdowns “unethical” and referred to them as “de facto house arrest”.

Related: COVID Second Wave Is Happening All Over Europe, Except in Sweden

Alternatively, he has proposed that we try the targeted lockdown approach, putting anyone at risk on lockdown. Swisher said people could potentially die in response to Musk’s suggestion. “Everybody dies,” said Musk.

Bill Gates has recently claimed that Elon Musk does not know much about vaccines and suggested that he should stay out areas that he isn’t involved in. Musk later responded by saying “Hey, knucklehead, we actually make the vaccine machines for CureVac, that company you’re invested in.” Tesla manufactures equipment for CureVac, the German biopharmaceutical firm.

Related: Coronavirus Supplement Review

Regardless of Musk’s knowledge of vaccines, he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, certainly capable of making the decision as to rather he and his own children should be vaccinated.

You can listen to Musk’s conversation with Kara Swisher here.

The city of Berkeley, California continues its quest to make its residents healthier, becoming the first city in the United States to ban sugary candy, sodas, and other junk foods from the checkout aisle. The banned food items are those with 5 grams of added sugars and 200 milligrams of sodium, chewing gum and mints with added sugars, and beverages with added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Placement of unhealthy snacks near a register increases the likelihood that customers will purchase these foods and drinks when willpower is weak at the end of a long shopping trip…It’s not a ban, it’s a nudge. Stores can still sell candy and soda, just not at your child’s eye level in the checkout.”

Kate Harrison, Berkeley city council member and ordinance sponsor

The unanimously passed ordinance will go into effect in March of 2021. Grocery stores affected will include Safeway, Monterey Market, Whole Foods, and Berkeley Bowl.

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

This is not the first time that Berkeley has taken a stand against sugary products. Last time it was sodas and sugary beverages, as Berkeley became the first city in the U.S. to implement a soda tax in 2014. That tax proved to be successful, as residents in affected areas reported drinking 52% fewer servings of sugary drinks. The city of Berkeley clearly wants to continue to offer its residents healthier options.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated guidelines for dental amalgams:

Dental amalgam fillings may release small amounts of mercury in the form of a vapor (gas), depending on the number and age of existing fillings, and actions such as tooth grinding and gum chewing. When a new amalgam filling is placed or an old filling is removed, patients and healthcare providers may experience a temporary increase in exposure to mercury vapor. While there are no known health risks associated with ingestion (swallowing) of small particles of dental amalgam, inhaling (breathing in) mercury vapors may be harmful in certain patients.

In general, people with multiple dental amalgam fillings may have slightly higher mercury levels in their blood or urine, however, they usually remain at a level considered safe. Studies on people with dental amalgam do not show conclusive evidence that dental amalgam causes harmful health effects in the general population.

FDA

The FDA goes on to state that certain people, “including women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant, nursing mothers, children (especially those under the age of six), people with a known allergy to mercury, and people with a neurological impairment or kidney dysfunction,” could be more susceptible to damage caused by dental amalgam. They recommend that anyone who is of the “high-risk populations identified” should avoid dental amalgam “if possible and appropriate.”

Related: Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included

The FDA says that groups with greater risk for potential harmful health effects of mercury vapor include:

• People with known heightened sensitivity (allergies) to mercury or other components of dental amalgams
• People with pre-existing neurological conditions
• Pregnant women and developing fetuses
• Nursing women and their babies
• Children, especially younger than six years
• People with poor kidney health

Sources:

1. Information for Patients About Dental Amalgam Fillings – FDA
2. Breaking: FDA Acknowledges Amalgam Fillings Potential Harm for Pregnant Women & Children – Health Nut News

The New Jersey state legislature has voted to ban single-use plastic bags in all stores and restaurants. This bill also bans the use of single-use polystyrene at restaurants and paper bags at grocery stores and is the most thorough single-use plastic ban in the United States.

This bill is probably the strongest, most comprehensive bill in the nation dealing with plastics and packaging. It will go a long way in our battle with plastic pollution.”

Jeff Tittel, the director of the New Jersey Sierra Club

The bill has been approved in the legislature, and NJ governor Scott Murphy is expected to sign the bill into law.

“The governor is proud to support the strongest bag ban in the nation. This bill will significantly reduce the harm that these products cause to our environment.”

Mahen Gunaratna, Governor Murphy’s communications director

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Plastics companies took advantage of the coronavirus earlier in the year to put holds on several plastic bag bans. Many municipalities, even in California, chose to instead ban reusable bags. Some states (Florida, cough, cough) even have laws prohibiting the ban of single-use plastics bags.

Many opponents of the bill claim that this ban will put businesses at a disadvantage, but at this point, there is no excuse for continuing to use single-use plastic bags. Eco-friendly bag options are widely available. The average American family takes home an average of 1,500 plastic bags each year, and only 1% of those bags end up recycled. These bags stay in landfills for centuries, breaking down into microplastics and releasing endocrine disruptors.

Recommended: How To Heal Your Gut 

At this point, we are knowingly poisoning our environment and ourselves for grocery store convenience and fossil fuel profits. We shouldn’t have to live this way.

The secretary of California Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, announced on Friday that the state of California will be forming an independent review board to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine data.

We think it is an appropriate approach to take, especially because things are moving so quickly. We want to make sure — despite the urge and interest in having a useful vaccine — that we do it with the utmost safety of Californians in mind.”

Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of CA Health and Human Services

Related: Natural Coronavirus Prevention

California is not the only state or jurisdiction saying they will independently analyze coronavirus vaccines. Others include Colorado, the District of Columbia, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and West Virginia. Montana and Wyoming have said they would only administer vaccines if they had completed clinical trials and had been reviewed by an outside committee.

Confidence in the coronavirus vaccine has been steadily waning as government timelines continue to waver. President Trump has consistently promised that the vaccine will be ready before the election and all Americans will be vaccinated by April, while the director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, maintains that widespread vaccination will not be achieved until the third quarter of 2021. According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, only 51% of Americans would probably get the vaccine as opposed to the 72% that would give the same answer in May.