Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Michael Medici Bloomberg

I’ve blogged before about NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s mandated improvements to the dietary habits of the city’s residents, but his influence has reached far beyond banning trans fats and gallon containers of soft drinks. After 12 years, Bloomberg will leave office at midnight December 31st with The New York Times reporting that his stint has mayor has cost $US650 million ($AUD730 million) of his own money. From the tropical fish tanks he installed in city hall, across staff meals, charitable gifts, campaign funds, private plan travel through cultural philanthropy and much more, the man can only be compared to a modern-day Medici.

Eschewing the normal mayoral salary of $US2.7million, accepting just $US1.00/year, then pouring funds from a seemingly bottomless well into all manner of causes, could be reasons for his three terms in office. But extraordinary philanthropy aside, it’s worth looking to Bloomberg’s other legacies, crime reduction, sidewalk safety, skyline-altering construction, gun-reform, immigration control and volunteerism, because it’s unlikely that New York or any other metropolis will see the likes of Michael Bloomberg again.

Maybe not, but then we do live in extraordinary times, so who knows?



Tuesday, December 24, 2013

World Health Organisation in support of Complementary Medicine!

If you're still scratching your head over the MDs who tell us that supplements are a waste of our time and money, the new WHO policy document on on Traditional and Complementary Medicine is a breath of fresh air and has met with approval from industry groups. Margaret Chen, the WHO’s Director-General suggests in her forward to the new paper, that much has changed since the last policy statement in 2002. She stated “Across the world, traditional medicine is either the mainstay of healthcare delivery or serves as a complement to it. More countries have gradually come to accept the contribution that T&CM can make to the health and wellbeing of individuals and to the comprehensiveness of their healthcare systems." 

In Australia, CEO of the Complementary Healthcare Council Says “I urge the Australian Government to see the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014 - 2023 as the impetus for fostering the appropriate proactive policies and for recognising complementary medicines as a vital part of a comprehensive Australian health care system.”

The new WHO paper is certainly very welcome - I can only wonder if the dinosaurs of allopathic medicine and the mouthpieces for Big Pharma are behind the nonsense trotted out as science, damning the use of nutritional supplements.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Stop taking my supplements? They're dreaming ...

Hot on the heels of my post about 'corporate terrorism' comes a study that would set you laughing if it weren't so serious. An editorial panel of medical doctors says the case is now closed for multivitamins: they don’t help well-nourished adults. In other words, supplements are a waste of time and money! END OF STORY. 

Love to know who funded this particular group to get on the anti-supplement soapbox. Hate to tell them, but there’s no way their pronouncements will reduce by even one item, my own supplement regimen which now dates back 40 years and will continue into my sunset! At the same time, leading trade associations have defended the safety and efficacy of supplements, calling the editorial, ‘close-minded, one-sided’ and ‘overblown’. That's an understatement ...

Of course the operative words in this highly questionable report are 'well-nourished adults'. Where are they I ask? Not too many of my acquaintances (young or old) would fit that bill. But seriously, for the large cohort of folk who say in all honesty 'I eat a good balanced diet' trusting the food they consume is replete in trace elements and free from all traces of chemical cocktail, trusting they are getting all the nutrients they need because the experts have spoken, this report is damaging in the extreme. And of course when those same folk turn up in the medicos’ offices for help with their acute or chronic whatevers, you can be sure only high-priced pharmaceuticals, with the likelihood of unpleasant side-effects will be on offer. Forget the diet and lifestyle counseling, forget the suggestion of a natural, safe, low-priced alternative. BIG PHARMA prevails ... unless like me, you’re laughing all the way to your supplement cabinet! Shane Starling writing at www.nutraingredients.com refutes the report very eloquently, ditto Duffy McKay from CRN who says 'while those in the ivory tower might say that people just need to eat their sardines and salads, in the real world there are nutrient gaps.'


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Corporate Terrorism? Let's stop the rot!

Over two years, the rat subjects experienced significant ill-health, gross tumour development and early death, thanks to Monsanto’s GMO strains of corn and their associated herbicide Roundup. Not surprisingly, Monsanto didn’t like what the studies showed, so what did they do? Created a brand new position on the editorial board of Food and Chemical Toxicology, installed one of their ex-scientists, who promptly ordered the study unfavourable to Monsanto's interests to be retracted. 

Well rather than dousing the debate around GMOs and Roundup, the retraction has fueled the fires. Indeed, quiet outrage has followed, since there is no evidence of fraud or poor science in the much-publicised Seralini study. Fortunately Seralini is no stranger to walking where others fear to tread, is sticking by his findings and is prepared to fight the retraction in court. 

But this latest drama in the evolution of “corporate terrorism” strikes at the heart of dedicated, committed, unbiased science (yes, some is still being conducted). But unless we take a firm stand and demand the return of unbiased, impartial, non-commercial science we are doomed to ill-health and the over-riding money-making, controlling interests of massive enterprises like Monsanto and the more generalised Big Pharma. The so-called "Science Journals" should be in our sights too - with multiple recent examples of published papers being nothing more than thinly disguised advertorials for new drugs. Take a moment to sign the petition.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Risks of electromagnetic pollution

Every time I travel on a bus or train, I can’t help but think of the electromagnetic soup that I and all my fellow passengers are bathing in! That's after I've spent the day in our wirelessly connected office of course. No matter that you don’t have a cell phone in your pocket or a tablet in your lap, no matter that you don't work in an all-electronic office environment, you’re an unwitting, and if informed, unwilling, experimental subject. Make no mistake, exposure to electromagnetic fields carries health risks! And the fact that electromagnetic pollution is unseen makes it even more insidious - it’s particularly a health risk for foetuses and the developing brains of children.

Radiation from cell phones and Wi-fi has been linked to decreased brain motor function, social and emotional issues and inability to concentrate or focus on long-term tasks. Declining sperm count and fertility are other by-products of the current ocean of EMR that comes from a range of sources including wireless routers, cordless phones, smart whiteboards, antenna, bluetooth earpieces, baby monitors and more. What to do given that exposure is almost inevitable? Protective measures include anti-oxidant nutrients, ongoing detoxification and avoiding exposure to those devices that are within your control. Particular guidelines for children must be heeded with the goal of keeping all exposure to a bare minimum. More on the subject in Healthy Parents, Healthy Toddler.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Did you get your sunshine today?

Researchers now link vitamin D deficiency to the likelihood of cognitive decline in the elderly, so despite the skin-cancer scare-mongers, that means regular sun exposure for maintaining mental acuity. Then other researchers remind us that the brain is just like any other muscle, benefitting from new, varied and diverse mental activities to keep it in great shape. I’m up for it, regular time on the beach or out walking in the sun, and do my brain training most days too! In the interest of writing this blog I reviewed my Lumosity Brain Training history. Brain Performance Index (BPI) is a measure of cognitive performance and is based on the combined results of my best games in each Brain Area - Memory, Attention, Speed, Flexibility, Problem Solving. Four years ago, when I began BPI was a mere 341, today it is 1198 and is better than 98 percent of my age peers.

Then I read that the indomitable Rolling Stones (combined ages 277) will tour Australia in 2014 and that Mick Jagger’s preparation for the tour includes Tai-chi, yoga, pilates, weight-training, kick-boxing and ballet. I can’t quite beat Mick on the physical activity score, but agree with him that being active and involved in something you love i.e. a “noble cause” is the key to maintaining physical and mental health when all around you are losing theirs.

Downside?  I’ll have to live with the sun damage, but to be honest, I’d sooner have my brain, my immune system and much more in great shape.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Don't believe everything you read

If you’re following the news and the debate surrounding GM crops, even if you’ve only been following my blog, you should be concerned enough to be buying organic and looking for “GM-free” on labels. And if you’re not, you should be! But for those who rely on the scientific journals to sift the wheat from the chaff (sorry - poor analogy) and the popular press to report the “real” story, you are likely to be led far astray.

The recent retraction of the infamous Seralini study, which linked long-term consumption of GM corn and use of Roundup to massive tumour growth in rats, published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2012, is a perfect case in point. The word is out that the very recent fast-tracked appointment to the editorial board of FCT of an ex-Monsanto employee, was orchestrated to ensure that this very damaging report was discredited and removed from sight. Sadly FCT is not the only academic journal to have fallen under the sway of massive commercial interests disguised as independent, not-for-profits etc. 

The good news is, all this skulduggery and heavy-handedness from powerful vested interests is impossible to hide completely. You just need to keep your eyes open, your ear to the ground and always ask questions!