Mineralized Organic Superfoods update

A video demonstrating the construction of a planter box for growing mineralized organic superfoods will be posted in a few days with relevent links. Please stay tuned!

New Blog: Bioenergetic Spectrum Science Circle

My postings will now be at Bioenergetic Spectrum Science Circle. This is a WordPress Blog provided very graciously by my webhost, 1 and 1. At this blog, anyone and everyone will be able to comment on different arenas of bioenergetics, electrokinetics, essential nutrients, health factors and all the related subject matters including esoteric science.

This blogger has been great, but I want to give you the flexibility to shine according to your expertise. Please visit Bioenergetic Spectrum Science Circle and give everyone a piece of your mind.

Thanks in advance!

Randolph Directo

Fluoride News for January 2008

FAN Monthly | January 2008
http://www.FluorideAlert.Org

January 28, 2008

Included below is the first issue of Fluoride Action Network's (FAN) new monthly email newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter will be to summarize the key developments that occur each month, and provide links for further information on the web.


1) "Second Thoughts About Fluoride" Reports Scientific American

The January issue of Scientific American magazine contains an excellent review of the fluoride controversy. According to the article, "scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift." According to an accompanying note from the editors: "Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland."

Of particular interest in the Scientific American review are comments made by Dr. John Doull, the Chairman of the recent National Research Council review of fluoride in drinking water. According to Doull, he was surprised to see the amount of evidence linking fluoride to altered thyroid function. "The thyroid changes do worry me," Doull told author Dan Fagin.

Doull added: "What the committee found is that we've gone with the status quo regarding fluoride for many years—for too long, really—and now we need to take a fresh look."

To read more excerpts of the Scientific American article, click here. To read a press release discussing the article, click here.

2) Major Conference on Fluoride Toxicity Announced for August 2008

It's official. Dr Hardy Limeback, from the University of Toronto, has recently announced that Toronto will be the site of the International Society for Fluoride Research's (ISFR) upcoming conference on fluoride toxicity. Titled "Fluoride: Bone & Brain Effects", the conference will feature presentations from research scientists around the world, and will take place in Toronto from August 7th-10th. On the last day of the conference, FAN will be organizing networking and organizing workshops, which should prove of great value to activists working in the trenches. To sign up, and read more about the conference, click here.

3) FAN Launches New Online Video Series of "Professional Perspectives"

On January 16th, FAN launched the first in a series of online video vignettes which will be produced throughout 2008. The series, titled "Professional Perspectives", will feature some of the 1,350+ medical, scientific, and environmental experts who have signed FAN's "Professionals' Statement to End Water Fluoridation."

The first installment of the series features Dr. Bill Osmunson, a practicing dentist who promoted fluoridation for the first 25 years of his professional career. In the short 5-minute video, Dr. Osmunson discusses some of the reasons that led him to reconsider, and ultimately oppose, fluoridation. To watch the video, click here.

So far, the video has already been watched by over 4,500 people, and Carole Clinch from Waterloo, Ontario reports that it was put to use with "great effect" at a recent meeting where a council voted against a proposed extension of water fluoridation in Ontario's Niagara district. (To read more about the Niagara decision, click here.)

(To further increase the impact of this video, please consider forwarding it to your friends, add it to your blog, or send it to your dentist or doctor.)

4) FAN Releases Review of "Top 10 Scientific Developments of 2007"

To help members keep abreast of the latest scientific research, FAN recently posted a review of the "top 10 scientific developments" in 2007. The developments include: new evidence on the damage fluoride may cause to the brain; new evidence on the risk of fluoride poisoning from drinking too much tea; new evidence linking fluoridation chemicals to increased uptake of lead; and new evidence questioning fluoride's purported benefits. To view FAN's "Top 10", click here.

5) FAN's Campaign for Congressional Hearings Gets a Big Boost

January has proven to be a very busy month on the campaign for Congressional hearings! Last week, over 2,000 people — representing virtually every state in the nation -- emailed their Congressional reps calling for an end to water fluoridation pending further hearings.

If you haven't yet sent a letter, you can send (or modify) our form letter online at: http://www.fluoridealert.org/congress. It only takes a few seconds to send this letter, and it will help your Congressional reps know that their constituents care about the safety of their drinking water, and don't want unnecessary toxins like fluoride added to it.

6) More Health Professionals Call for End to End Water Fluoridation

In January, over 150 health professionals — including the former Federal Health Minister of Belgium and many dentists, doctors, PhD scientists, nurses, naturopaths, and chiropractors — came forward and added their name to FAN's Statement to End Water Fluoridation. If you know of other health professionals who may like to sign the statement, please refer them to our online sign-up form.

To read about other events from January, please check out FAN's online newstracker for a chronological listing of news.

Here's to a fluoride-free future! Together we can make it happen.

Sincerely,

Paul Connett, PhD
Executive Director
Fluoride Action Network
paul@fluoridealert.org

Are Your Holiday Drinks Healthy & Sustainable?

A Toast to Green Beer and Wine
December 2007
Read this issue of Greentips online

You may have already considered serving locally produced, organic foods to your holiday guests, but what about the beer and wine? Significant amounts of water and fossil fuels are used to grow conventional grapes, barley, and hops, and to transport the finished products to market, but a growing number of beer and wine makers have made a commitment to produce beverages with the same (or better) quality as conventional products and with less environmental impact.

Organic
Organic beer and wine is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For a product to be labeled “organic,” 95 percent of the ingredients (other than water and yeast) must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and must not be genetically engineered. In addition, wines labeled “organic” cannot contain any added sulfites (a preservative that can aggravate asthma). Products labeled “made with organic ingredients” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients and may contain a small amount of added sulfites.

Biodynamic
A small but growing number of wine makers are growing grapes using methods inspired by the philosophy of biodynamics, which holds that plants, animals, soil, air, and celestial influences work in harmony to create self-sustaining farms. Many of these sustainable farming practices (such as avoidance of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) are required for organic certification, but also include crop rotation and composting. Wines labeled “biodynamic” have met certification standards set by the nonprofit Demeter Association, which has trademarked the term.

Locally Produced
Purchasing beer and wine made by local producers minimizes fossil fuel use associated with shipping. And some breweries offer local customers the option of buying beer in refillable 64-ounce glass bottles called growlers, which reduces the environmental impact associated with packaging.

Local wine options might be limited depending on where you live, so when buying a wine made outside your region of the country, consider the distance it has had to travel in order to reach you. The American Association of Wine Economists (see the related links) provides a comparison of the global warming emissions associated with transporting wines from various countries to several major U.S. cities.

Related Links:

Food & Wine—Defining Wine’s Eco-lingo

Organic Consumers Association—Clearing Up the Confusion about Organic Wine

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association—What is Biodynamics?

The Cost of Carbon in the Global Wine Trade (pdf)

New grass-fed label for beef approved

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a new voluntary "grass-fed" label that will allow consumers to identify meat from cows and other animals raised on a natural diet of grass. Cows raised on grass, the natural diet that they evolved to eat, are healthier than cows in feedlots that are fed corn, which they have trouble digesting. To qualify for the label, animals must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. Beef from cows raised in these smart pasture operations also has health benefits for consumers and is easier on the environment according to a UCS study. Read the announcement of the new label

This is good news for meat eaters since most commercial beef on the market is grain fed, therefore, lacking all the proper nutrients in their diets to remain healthy. In turn, this means a healthy array of Omega-3 fats in your diet. Are you a Restauranteur? Next time you stop at Black Angus, OutBack or similar, now you can ask your waiter if the beef is grass fed. The USDA has made it so.

Bon Appetit!

UK Obesity Study is an understatement

A study by government think-tank Foresight has found that obesity is set to reach epidemic proportions in Britain, which could cost the country over $100 billion. Researchers called for greater help to counter the "'obesogenic' environment" by designing towns and cities to promote walking and cycling and encouraging people to buy healthier food. Obesity rates have more than doubled in Britain in the last 25 years – in 2004, nearly a quarter of men and women in England were obese. "There is compelling evidence that humans are predisposed to put on weight by their biology," the report said. "Although personal responsibility plays a crucial part in weight gain, human biology is being overwhelmed by the effects of today's 'obesogenic' environment, with its abundance of energy-dense food, motorised transport and sedentary lifestyles.

AFP, SBS World News

Related Links:

MSG Causes Most Obesity in US and Canada

Our Deadly Diabetes Deception

Mountaintop Removal Mining is Destructive and Wrong - Help Stop it!

What is more important than the safety of our drinking water and the quality of our natural environment?

Certainly NOT the profits of coal companies.

Mountaintop removal mining is the nation's most destructive form of coal mining, and it has to stop.
We are just 2000 signatures away from our goal!

Mountaintop removal is exactly what it sounds like: Mining companies clearcut native forests and blow off mountaintops with explosives to uncover thin seams of coal, then dump millions of tons of the waste rock into the valleys below, permanently burying streams.

This devastating practice poisons drinking water, lays waste to wildlife habitat, increases risk of flooding, and wipes out entire communities.

Little by little, mountaintop removal mining is destroying the mountains, streams, communities and the heritage of Appalachia.

You can help: Please urge your member of Congress to protect Appalachia's streams by co-sponsoring the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169)!

Thank you for caring and taking action,

Emily L
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team

Oppose Destructive Mountaintop Removal Mining!

We are just 2000 signatures away from our goal - please help! Sign the petition»