Do you know the dangers linked to genetically modified foods?

A few weeks ago I listened to a really interesting interview with Jeffrey Smith. At that time, I made myself a note to share some of Jeffrey’s information with you, which is what I’ve provided below. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!


Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Food

On May 19th, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.”[1] They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling. AAEM’s position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”

More and more doctors are already prescribing GM-free diets. Dr. Amy Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist, and board member of AAEM says, “I strongly recommend patients eat strictly non-genetically modified foods.” Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles says “I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”

Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM, says, “Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions.” World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans.

Pregnant Women And Babies At Great Risk

Among the population, biologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute warns that “children are the most likely to be adversely effected by toxins and other dietary problems” related to GM foods. He says without adequate studies, the children become “the experimental animals.”[2]

The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three weeks—compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural soy.[3] The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting pregnant.[4]

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Will a Checklist Reduce your Risk of Being Readmitted to the Hospital?

Do you go to your doctor’s appointment with a checklist? Creating a checklist is an easy way to go prepared and ensure you go home with what you need to know.

A small study was conducted on patients admitted to the hospital for heart problems. Half the patients went through a 27 steps checklist prior to discharge, while the other half received standard discharge instructions.

So in this study, this was a checklist DOCTORS used to ensure they covered everything prior to discharging a patient. The checklist served as a reminder to doctors and prompts them to be sure and cover things like medication recommendations, diet instructions, warning signs to watch for, referrals to other health professionals if applicable, and so on.

The study found those who were discharged using the checklist were more likely to take their medications as prescribed. For patients discharged with doctors utilizing the 27 step checklist, only 2% were readmitted to the hospital within one month. For the other patients that were discharged without the checklist, 20% found themselves readmitted to the hospital within a month.
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Why is HDL Cholesterol Considered to be ‘Good’?

There are some very interesting questions coming out regarding the benefits of HDL cholesterol.

High HDL cholesterol has always been encouraged because people with higher HDL cholesterol levels have a reduced risk for heart disease. If you have low HDL cholesterol levels it’s likely that your doctor recommended you to boost levels through diet and exercise or by taking niacin supplements. This is due to the long held belief that HDL cholesterol reduces heart disease risk by “picking up” artery clogging cholesterol from circulation.

A new study utilizing modern genetic testing is challenging this theory, finding that there may not be a direct cause-and-effect relationship between reduced heart disease risk and high HDL cholesterol levels. Study findings indicate the high HDL levels themselves may not be protective on their own. These high HDL levels may be an indicator of something else reducing heart disease risk.
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Lower Blood Pressure with Cranberry Juice

Typically cranberry juice is thought of as a home health remedy to treat urinary tract infections (UTI’s). Some recent research indicates cranberry juice may also promote lower blood pressure levels.

Let me begin by stating these study results are preliminary. More research needs to be conducted. The study, funded by Ocean Spray Cranberries, was published as an abstract and the results have not yet been peer-reviewed and published in a journal. Results were reported at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Washington, DC.

Placebo Controlled Study
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The Connection Between Sleep Deprivation, Weight Gain, and Heart Disease

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

A lack of sleep can directly impact your weight and overall health.

Studies have shown a lack of sleep promotes the expression of a gene linked to obesity. Both sleeping too little (less than 5-6 hours per night) and too much (greater than 9-10 hours per night) are associated with weight gain.

Researchers also propose a lack of sleep can lead to a vicious cycle, meaning poor sleep equals weight gain equals conditions that interfere with sleep which equals continued sleep deprivation.

Appetite

Sleep quality and quantity impact the appetite regulation hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin levels decrease after a meal and increase between meals.

Leptin is another hormone that reduces feelings of hunger. Leptin levels increase during the day and peak at night.

Adipose tissue secretes leptin while the stomach secretes ghrelin.

Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase the ratio of ghrelin to leptin leading to increased appetite and specifically increased carbohydrate cravings. Many studies have shown a lack of sleep leads to increased caloric intake throughout the day.

Breathing Disorders

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Decrease Hypertension Risk by Increasing Folic Acid

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in every three adults in the United States have hypertension (high blood pressure), but only about 50% of those with hypertension have it under control.

A study published April 2012 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found folic acid intake to impact the development of hypertension.

Study participants included 4400 individuals between the ages of 18 – 30 years-old without high blood pressure. Over the following twenty years participant blood pressure was evaluated six times. Participants also completed three dietary history questionnaires. One questionnaire was completed at the start of the study, a second during the study, and the third and final dietary questionnaire at the study conclusion (20 years).

During the 20 year period, 989 individuals developed hypertension. Individuals consuming diets with the highest folate levels were 52% less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those with the lowest folic acid intake.

Serum folate measurements during the study confirmed the correlation between folic acid and high blood pressure development.

Some food sources of folate include:

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