12 May 2010
Do you have a right to eat?
Silly question right? Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US think that you do not have a fundamental right to eat any food that you wish. This sounds insane but these are quotes from what the FDA said in a dismissal sent to a court when a law suit came against them by the Farm-to-Comsumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF).
"There is no 'deeply rooted' historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds." [p. 26]
"Plaintiffs' assertion of a 'fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families' is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish." [p.26]
11 May 2010
Why on "Earth" be healthy?
Yes it is a question I get a lot of. What is the point of living healthy and why be so concerned by it? Many also consider me to be extreme about my beliefs in this area, and have presumed a stress relationship with so much concern about food. So here is my answer to that question.
I have a few main reasons for why I place a lot of concern on what I buy and eat. It is these reasons that make me feel empowered in my lifestyle change, and allow me to enjoy researching and subsequently modifying my diet and lifestyle. In essense, I am my own guinea pig as I come up against health issues and self prescribe food based medicines, vitamins, and minerals. Research into these things also gives you hope and confidence that you have the ability to fix your health problems without having to fear cancer or any known disease. Is there any illness that your body cannot potentially heal with the right combination of natural medicines? I believe most cases can be healed or managed to a significant degree, it is just a matter of taking the right approach for the individual that is experiencing the problems. Similar symptoms don't always mean a similar solution, and sometimes we just never get to learn about the real answer to our problems.
1. Ethical reasons
2. Personal health issues
Ethical Reasons
Why is eating an ethical decision? Well, there are as many sides to this one as there are sides to a ball. Here are some of them:
a) Large companies these days care more about their shareholders and their bottom line than anything else. Has this changed in the last 100 years? Probably not. It has been human nature for almost as long as there have been humans. The problem when it comes to pharmaceutical companies is that their interest often conflicts what is in your interest. What if a drug is created to help deal with a certain problem, then through studies it is determined that the drug is ineffective and to cause a range of side effects such as stoke or sudden death? There is now a choice to be made. One will have a massive impact on the companies bottom line. The other will have a massive impact on peoples health. Of course the bottom line will almost always win out, and we have on numerous occasions seen drug companies manipulate studies, hide evidence, lobby governments, discredit independent doctors who go up against them, and the list goes on. And as we see in the US, until a drug is proven to be dangerous, it will be presumed safe. Crazy! For ethical reasons I will do my best not to purchase drugs or such from these companies.
b) The soil that we have is being constantly poisoned by chemical fertilizers, and agriculteral practices that deplete and cause imbalances of minerals in the soil. This has mostly happened throughout the 20th and 21st century. Due to the soil problems, it is likely our grandparents got far more minerals in their food than we do now and so more easily lived a healthier life on simple foods. E.g. crop rotation is more a thing of the past and we generally no longer leave fields to fallow as they did in ancient times (Leviticus 25:3-5), proper fertilization is not generally practiced in non organic farming and we poison the soil with pesticides. That is why eating organic where possible is a great way to help save the environment. We also have stewardship over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 8:6-8) so I think it is actually our duty to look after it. I take this duty fairly seriously and is a reason why I try to buy ethically.
c) Food miles are a concern with all types of food, even organic ones because of the fuel required and pollution to our environment. Why buy a lettuce from China when you can buy one from a local farmer?
Personal Health Issues
OK, I have been asked a good number of times why I punish myself by eating healthy. I also receive some criticisms for not allowing my son to eat junk foods as if that is some form of cruelty. Well, I find it very difficult to understand why this could be considered cruelty. Giving your child a snake would be cruelty. Asking your child to eat his vegetables is hardly cruelty. Giving your child numerous processed and high GI foods such as white bread, rice, sugar, and so on would be closer to cruelty in my opinion. My Nanna suffered from type 1 diabetes and lost a limb even because of it. I need to think of my childs long term future and try to prevent this. How much junk food is required over 10, 20 or even 50 years, to cause a disease in an individual. The answer is that I don't know. That is reason enough for me to minimise it as much as possible.
Ok, I have been asked a number of times about how I feel before eating junk food and now that I am eating a lot more healthy.
Well, the answer is I felt great while eating all that junk food. But there is a saying "Just because you are not sick, does not mean that you are well". I felt great, but I most certainly was not well. There were symptoms of this but I did not recognise any of them. I had extreme constipation which I thought was quite normal. I on some occasions had stomach/bowel pains and did not recognise them as anything except maybe something to do with what I had eaten on the day. I had very bad posture from sitting at computers for long hours at a time. I was also suffering from extreme levels of stress.
All of this culminated in recent years:
1. I started having pains in my lower stomach regions. This culminated in a number of weeks of intense pain where I was not sure if I was going to live or die. Eventually going to the doctor, I was diagnosed with appendicitis. I went straight to hospital. While there the nurse gave me pain killers. Eventually when the doctor there saw me I had little pain due to the pain killers so they could not confirm the diagnosis. I went home. and from that moment I changed my diet drastically. I started blending up green vegetables with fruits and drinking them, taking digestive enzymes and detox tinctures. I also cut all processed foods and sugars from the diet. Every time I took some processed food such as a chinese dish, I was punished for it the next day. Goes to show that chinese food is not great for your digestive system and works directly against it. I slowly recovered due to my diet changes and I believe this is the reason I am able to sit here this day and write this.
2. I started having faints and blackouts due to posture problems and high stress. This one also culminated in almost dying. According to those on the scene, my pupils were extremely dilated and they were unable to feel a pulse. Following this last blackout, I have had extreme pains in my neck. The inflammation from the neck also affects my vision and cognitive ability. This turned out (following an MRI) to appear to be the result of three bulging disks.
It was only around this time I realised my past was catching up with me big time. The phrase "just because you are not sick does not mean you are well" now took on new meaning for me. It was also around this time that I read an article from a Doctor who had visited tribes in remote locations and found that they would generally pass motion within 30 minutes of each meal, and in fact the most healthy individuals should pass motion 2 to 3 times a day. This was a far cry from my situation. Once I changed my diet, things changed drastically. I was able to resolve most of my internal issues through diet alone. Although the road to recovery is a long one, I am slowly bringing myself to a more healthy situation.
Unfortunately I couldn't fix some of my posture related issues with diet, although non-drug supplements such as green-lipped mussel powder helped deal with the pain and inflammation I was experiencing.
How I deal with my problems currently:
I was able to control my neck pains with a natural anti-inflammatory known as green-lipped mussel powder. It takes an initial loading dose period before you begin to feel the effects of this.
The muscle weakness was also managed through consistent neck excercises as well as a supplement called Creatine which can prevent the loss of muscle mass. The fuzzy feeling gets better and worse however and no doctor is able to give a reason for it. However, as it is related to the head region, I am taking a number of supplements to support this. I take eggs for choline, and I also supplement with Gingko Biloba, Brahmi, and Taurine. In case there are osteo related problems, I also supplement with Strontium and Vitamin D which are useful for building up the strength of bones.
Stress was a big factor in how significant the symptoms were so controlling stress had to also be a major factor in the healing process. For this I supplement with a B complex, English Hawthorn berry tincture, magnesium & potassium, and most importantly CoQ10. These have had a massive impact on controlling the stress levels and allow me to now get a good nights sleep.
Unfortunately these problems take a big toll on your life and can leave you feeling like your head is going to fall off at the end of the day. Such things do not heal quickly so I am still working on the healing process.
I have a few main reasons for why I place a lot of concern on what I buy and eat. It is these reasons that make me feel empowered in my lifestyle change, and allow me to enjoy researching and subsequently modifying my diet and lifestyle. In essense, I am my own guinea pig as I come up against health issues and self prescribe food based medicines, vitamins, and minerals. Research into these things also gives you hope and confidence that you have the ability to fix your health problems without having to fear cancer or any known disease. Is there any illness that your body cannot potentially heal with the right combination of natural medicines? I believe most cases can be healed or managed to a significant degree, it is just a matter of taking the right approach for the individual that is experiencing the problems. Similar symptoms don't always mean a similar solution, and sometimes we just never get to learn about the real answer to our problems.
1. Ethical reasons
2. Personal health issues
Ethical Reasons
Why is eating an ethical decision? Well, there are as many sides to this one as there are sides to a ball. Here are some of them:
a) Large companies these days care more about their shareholders and their bottom line than anything else. Has this changed in the last 100 years? Probably not. It has been human nature for almost as long as there have been humans. The problem when it comes to pharmaceutical companies is that their interest often conflicts what is in your interest. What if a drug is created to help deal with a certain problem, then through studies it is determined that the drug is ineffective and to cause a range of side effects such as stoke or sudden death? There is now a choice to be made. One will have a massive impact on the companies bottom line. The other will have a massive impact on peoples health. Of course the bottom line will almost always win out, and we have on numerous occasions seen drug companies manipulate studies, hide evidence, lobby governments, discredit independent doctors who go up against them, and the list goes on. And as we see in the US, until a drug is proven to be dangerous, it will be presumed safe. Crazy! For ethical reasons I will do my best not to purchase drugs or such from these companies.
b) The soil that we have is being constantly poisoned by chemical fertilizers, and agriculteral practices that deplete and cause imbalances of minerals in the soil. This has mostly happened throughout the 20th and 21st century. Due to the soil problems, it is likely our grandparents got far more minerals in their food than we do now and so more easily lived a healthier life on simple foods. E.g. crop rotation is more a thing of the past and we generally no longer leave fields to fallow as they did in ancient times (Leviticus 25:3-5), proper fertilization is not generally practiced in non organic farming and we poison the soil with pesticides. That is why eating organic where possible is a great way to help save the environment. We also have stewardship over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 8:6-8) so I think it is actually our duty to look after it. I take this duty fairly seriously and is a reason why I try to buy ethically.
c) Food miles are a concern with all types of food, even organic ones because of the fuel required and pollution to our environment. Why buy a lettuce from China when you can buy one from a local farmer?
Personal Health Issues
OK, I have been asked a good number of times why I punish myself by eating healthy. I also receive some criticisms for not allowing my son to eat junk foods as if that is some form of cruelty. Well, I find it very difficult to understand why this could be considered cruelty. Giving your child a snake would be cruelty. Asking your child to eat his vegetables is hardly cruelty. Giving your child numerous processed and high GI foods such as white bread, rice, sugar, and so on would be closer to cruelty in my opinion. My Nanna suffered from type 1 diabetes and lost a limb even because of it. I need to think of my childs long term future and try to prevent this. How much junk food is required over 10, 20 or even 50 years, to cause a disease in an individual. The answer is that I don't know. That is reason enough for me to minimise it as much as possible.
Ok, I have been asked a number of times about how I feel before eating junk food and now that I am eating a lot more healthy.
Well, the answer is I felt great while eating all that junk food. But there is a saying "Just because you are not sick, does not mean that you are well". I felt great, but I most certainly was not well. There were symptoms of this but I did not recognise any of them. I had extreme constipation which I thought was quite normal. I on some occasions had stomach/bowel pains and did not recognise them as anything except maybe something to do with what I had eaten on the day. I had very bad posture from sitting at computers for long hours at a time. I was also suffering from extreme levels of stress.
All of this culminated in recent years:
1. I started having pains in my lower stomach regions. This culminated in a number of weeks of intense pain where I was not sure if I was going to live or die. Eventually going to the doctor, I was diagnosed with appendicitis. I went straight to hospital. While there the nurse gave me pain killers. Eventually when the doctor there saw me I had little pain due to the pain killers so they could not confirm the diagnosis. I went home. and from that moment I changed my diet drastically. I started blending up green vegetables with fruits and drinking them, taking digestive enzymes and detox tinctures. I also cut all processed foods and sugars from the diet. Every time I took some processed food such as a chinese dish, I was punished for it the next day. Goes to show that chinese food is not great for your digestive system and works directly against it. I slowly recovered due to my diet changes and I believe this is the reason I am able to sit here this day and write this.
2. I started having faints and blackouts due to posture problems and high stress. This one also culminated in almost dying. According to those on the scene, my pupils were extremely dilated and they were unable to feel a pulse. Following this last blackout, I have had extreme pains in my neck. The inflammation from the neck also affects my vision and cognitive ability. This turned out (following an MRI) to appear to be the result of three bulging disks.
It was only around this time I realised my past was catching up with me big time. The phrase "just because you are not sick does not mean you are well" now took on new meaning for me. It was also around this time that I read an article from a Doctor who had visited tribes in remote locations and found that they would generally pass motion within 30 minutes of each meal, and in fact the most healthy individuals should pass motion 2 to 3 times a day. This was a far cry from my situation. Once I changed my diet, things changed drastically. I was able to resolve most of my internal issues through diet alone. Although the road to recovery is a long one, I am slowly bringing myself to a more healthy situation.
Unfortunately I couldn't fix some of my posture related issues with diet, although non-drug supplements such as green-lipped mussel powder helped deal with the pain and inflammation I was experiencing.
How I deal with my problems currently:
I was able to control my neck pains with a natural anti-inflammatory known as green-lipped mussel powder. It takes an initial loading dose period before you begin to feel the effects of this.
The muscle weakness was also managed through consistent neck excercises as well as a supplement called Creatine which can prevent the loss of muscle mass. The fuzzy feeling gets better and worse however and no doctor is able to give a reason for it. However, as it is related to the head region, I am taking a number of supplements to support this. I take eggs for choline, and I also supplement with Gingko Biloba, Brahmi, and Taurine. In case there are osteo related problems, I also supplement with Strontium and Vitamin D which are useful for building up the strength of bones.
Stress was a big factor in how significant the symptoms were so controlling stress had to also be a major factor in the healing process. For this I supplement with a B complex, English Hawthorn berry tincture, magnesium & potassium, and most importantly CoQ10. These have had a massive impact on controlling the stress levels and allow me to now get a good nights sleep.
Unfortunately these problems take a big toll on your life and can leave you feeling like your head is going to fall off at the end of the day. Such things do not heal quickly so I am still working on the healing process.
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