Think, Eat, Be Healthy

Health News Updates

Genetically modified foods

Genetically modified foods might not be as safe as the companies making them would like you to believe, according to the latest health news.

Genetically modified foods

New evidence shows that that genetically modified food crops might not be “substantially equivalent” to non-modified crops after all. Up to now, that has been our governments requirement for the sale of GMO foods without any other safety testing. Papers published in Agricultural Sciences and The American Journal Of Plant Sciences show that genetically modified soy accumulates formaldehyde and depletes glutathione. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen. Glutathione detoxifies cells. This might just be the wedge needed to open the door to required safety testing of GMO crops. This is important health news.

Genetically modified crops are also getting more difficult to export and that will start having a larger negative impact on US food sales abroad. More than twenty five countries now have total or partial bans on importing and/or growing genetically modified crops. Sixty four other countries now require full disclosure labeling of all GMO foods. Yet the US still resists all efforts to control or label genetically modified foods. There is even a new law passed  awaiting only Senate approval that would ban individual states from banning or requiring labels for GMO foods. This in spite of an estimated 75% of all processed foods in US stores containing GMO’s and close to 90% of citizens favoring required labeling of GMO’s.

NSAID dangers

NSAID’s are back in the health news headlines because of new action by the FDA. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. This has been known for many years. Some prescription arthritis medications were even temporarily banned because of this problem. It was thought to be a side effect of long-term use. New evidence shows that even short-term, occasional use of these drugs can cause heart problems. New stronger printed warning labels will be required. Aspirin is not included, but naproxen and ibuprofen are. This is in addition to well-known liver damage caused by long-term use and or too-high dosages of these common over-the-counter medications. NSAID’s also commonly cause uncontrolled stomach bleeding, especially in those already suffering from ulcers.

The good news is that many studies have shown ginger and turmeric to be nearly as effective as NSAID’s for relief of most common pain and inflammation. Since starting to add a few slices of fresh ginger root to my hot tea and incorporating more fresh and ground turmeric into my daily diet I have totally eliminated NSAID use.

prescription drugs, pills

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can have a wide range of unwanted effects, from uncontrolled stomach bleeding to liver damage to heart attack and stroke.

Exercise

The health benefits of exercise keep piling up as more studies are done. New work shows that seniors maintaining the best physical health cut their chances of suffering a heart attack nearly in half. Just being able to walk faster than three miles per hour cut heart attacks by more than a fourth.

Exercise is just as important for younger people. The main mechanisms of exercise are almost certainly better blood circulation to all parts of the body and more efficiency for all bodily systems. Our physical systems naturally decline when they are not maintained and there is some natural decline just because of aging. Regular use and maintenance through regular exercise slows, stops or even reverses that physical decline of bodily and mental functions.

Regular physical exercise aids memory. People of all ages who exercise regularly maintain or increase the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain primarily responsible for memory. Increased production of brain derived neurotrophic factor is the probable cause of this hippocampus growth. And all it takes to trigger this response in the brain is regular brisk walking, preferably every day for 30-40 minutes. Walk long enough and fast enough even once each day to get breathing a little hard and break a sweat and your brain and memory will work better at any age!

All areas of performance are improved by exercise, especially exercise early in the day. School kids that exercise during the first class of the day show increased academic performance and better concentration during the rest of the school day. The same is true for adults that exercise in the morning: more productive work days. Exercise also increases our ability to handle stress and anxiety during the day, leading to more satisfaction and less frustration.

walking

Just walking for a half hour every day has many health benefits. If you can walk in a natural area it is even better for your health.

Conclusions

The current situation with genetically modified foods is proving that the US system of letting companies sell whatever they decide is not harmful without effective safety testing is not working. The current system does not protect us from harmful ingredients in our food. Any company can start using a new chemical or a new genetically modified food just by telling the FDA that is “generally regarded as safe” whether any actual testing has been done or not. Any testing that is done is paid for by the company that wants to market the product and they can simply pay for more tests until they get the result they want, disregarding and not forwarding to the FDA any test results not to their liking.

The situation is nearly as bad concerning pharmaceutical drugs. Safety testing is strictly short-term, the drug companies can cherry-pick test results and any result better than a placebo, no matter how slim the margin, results in FDA approval for the drug. The same criteria are applied to marketing already existing drugs to treat additional conditions or diseases. The latest trend among drug companies is to go back and look for side effects or unintended effects of existing drugs and then push to make those conditions new disease: hence “restless leg syndrome” and “dry eye disease”. These are in no way attempts to make anyone healthier and are meant only to increase drug sales.

The government is complicit in this game, placing corporate profits above the public health. If the government was serious about making people healthier, every school would be required to teach courses in physical education and nutrition and soda and other fast/junk foods would be banned from school campuses. Instead, the government issues “guidelines” for exercise and diet while allowing unlimited advertising of junk food and pharmaceutical drugs to everyone.

We are responsible for our own health and all of us need to start taking that responsibility much more seriously. If people ate well and exercised we would all be much healthier and there would be no “healthcare crisis”.

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