In 1425, Henry, a Portuguese duke, ordered the planting of a new crop on one of his territories. It was a crop that would change the world: sugar cane. The location was the formerly uninhabited Atlantic island of Madeira off the coast of North Africa. Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Disease
Nutrition Advice, Brought to you by Big Food
Released government documents show how Big Food has tried to stack a nutrition panel responsible for determining US dietary guidelines. Action Alert! An investigation by STAT News has found that an advisory committee responsible for shaping American nutrition recommendations is rife with conflicts of interest. This helps explain why the Guidelines have, for years now, continued to miss the mark on several key health issues that, if followed, would undermine our health. It is a case study in crony capitalism. Read more.
EPA’s new Forever Chemicals ‘Framework’ Puts Americans at Risk
A sea change in approach over how the EPA classifies PFAS forever chemicals will allow thousands to escape regulation and poses serious risks to our health. This begs the question: is the EPA looking out for Americans or for the chemical industry? Action Alert! Read more.
How Eco-Friendly Is Cultivated Meat?
Cultivated meat is on its way to a major tipping point: the culmination of decades of development and the beginning of a vast potential market. Venture capitalists, governments, and tech moguls have poured billions of dollars into more than 100 startups whose collective goal is to replicate animal flesh in laboratories and bioreactors and give it the characteristics—and prices—of natural meat. Advocates believe they’ll also reduce the impact of animal agriculture on Earth’s climate. Read more.
In Our Blood: How the US Allowed Toxic Chemicals to Seep Into our Lives
For decades, it was the secret behind the magic show of homemaking across the US. Applied to a pan, it could keep a fried egg from sticking to the surface. Soaked into a carpet, it could shrug off spills of red wine. Sprayed onto shoes and coats, it could keep the kids dry on a rainy day. But the most clandestine maneuver of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, was much less endearing: seeping into the blood and organs of hundreds of millions of people who used products containing the chemical. Read more.
New GMO Alert: It’s Just Like Beer — No, Wait, it IS Beer!
Ever since the term synthetic biology (synbio) – the genetic engineering of microorganisms to produce novel ingredients – entered our everyday lexicon, synbio developers have been searching for ways to disassociate the process from its genetic modification heritage. One of the most-often-used descriptions to make the synbio process and its novel products more normalized, acceptable, and consumer-friendly has been, “It’s just like brewing beer!” Well, we’ve now come full circle, with developers genetically engineering yeast in order to produce… wait for it… synbio beer! Read more.
Why 2% is the Most Dangerous Number No One is Talking About
Recent research shows that whole classes of these chemicals are affecting sexuality and disrupting reproduction—not just in humans, but in a host of other animal species as well. But the whole subject is controversial and is getting far too little attention, partly because reproduction and sexuality are culturally sensitive topics, and partly because the chemicals industry wields considerable political power. In this article, we’ll explore both the science and the controversy, and see why 2 percent is such a scary number in this context. Read more.
Five Issues I Have with Integrative Medicine
At times the battle lines seem to be drawn between orthodox and alternative. Many standard doctors are reflexively skeptical of anything other than “evidence-based” therapies. They’re just cherry-picking the data, confirming the old adage: “If you’re not up on it, you’re down on it.” But that doesn’t give some of my integrative medicine colleagues license to uncritically shun all drugs and surgery as “unnatural”. They’re practicing a form of narrow-thinking. Here are some examples of where I think the natural medicine movement has gone off the rails: Read more.
FDA Getting Ready to Ban Hormones?
A new rule is in the pipeline that could spell the end of your access to compounded bioidentical hormones…unless we stop it. Action Alert! Are you one of the millions of women who rely on compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (cBHRT) to feel healthy and vibrant? Your ability to use compounded hormones is in serious jeopardy due to FDA paternalism. Help us fight back and protect your access to cBHRT! Read more.
Imagine You are an Aluminum Atom, by Dr. Christopher Exley
If you care about the future health of the human species, you should read this absorbing book by the world-renowned expert on the subject of aluminum, Dr. Christopher Exley, who has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers on the subject. Read more.
