CONTENTS
1) Editorial
2) Feature: Expert on Genetically Engineered Foods Reveals Latest News
3) Issues Updates
-- Georgia Straight Alliance: Make Your Voice Heard on Climate Change
-- Ask Wal-Mart to Stop Selling Fluoride “Nursery Water” to Infants
-- Significant 10-Year Increase in Surgeries Performed in Canadian Hospitals
4) Media Watch
-- Canadians Support Green Tax Credit, Poll
-- Arctic Ice Melting Faster Than Expected
-- BC Pushed to Match California Global Warming Targets
-- Fill ‘er Up: A Grist Special Series on Biofuels
-- Brazil Creates Largest Tropical Rainforest Preserve
-- Pharmacy Pamphlets Omitting Key Information
-- Quebec Allows Vioxx Class-Action Suit
-- Institute of Medicine’s New Drug Safety Report: Implications for Canada
-- Hospitals Remain a Breeding Ground for Infection
-- North America Acts to Reduce Risk of Exposure to Lindane
-- Eliminate 90 Percent of Pesticides in Your Diet: Boycott Dirty Dozen & Buy Organic
-- Organic Grapes, Organic Wine
-- Survey: Americans Fuzzy on Biotech Foods
-- Despite Lack of Science and Strong Public Concern, FDA Expected to OK Food From Cloned Animals
-- 100-Mile Chef Doesn’t Have Cold Feet: BC’s First Totally Local Mid-winter Restaurant Menu
-- Slow Food’s Growing Pains: Want to Eat Local? Get in Line
-- Decline in Breast Cancer Since HRT Study
-- National Cancer Institutes Drops Claim of Imminent Victory Over Cancer
-- The Long-term Effects of Chemotherapy on the Central Nervous System
-- Tai Chi Beneficial Exercise for Seniors
5) Calendar of Events
-- Healthy Aging: Look and Feel Your Best!, Jan 27, Vancouver
-- German New Medicine Seminar ONE, Feb 3 and 4, Vancouver
-- Whole Foods for Health, Feb 8, North Vancouver
-- Purchasing and Preparing Whole Foods, Feb 15, North Vancouver
-- Food Issues, Feb 17, North Vancouver
-- Vegetarian Nutrition, Feb 17, North Vancouver
-- German New Medicine Seminar ONE, Feb 17 and 18, Vancouver
-- Yoga and Nutrition, Feb 22, North Vancouver
-- Cause and Prevention of Heart Attacks, Feb 22, Vancouver
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1) Editorial
Dear HANS Members & Friends;
It’s the beginning of a new year – a time when we should all be rejoicing because spring is right around the corner, and then well, we can plant our gardens, and watch everything grow.
But before we go there, let's reconsider something that raised its head in the early 90s, became a hot and confusing issue in the late 90s, and now that the dust is starting to settle, has raised its multiple heads again. I’m talking about CODEX Alimentarius.
We at HANS have wanted to host another forum-type event on the CODEX issue, but one of our biggest problems has been deciding WHO we would get to speak at that forum. Who would cut through the propaganda, and give us the actual facts of what was happening in the world of legislation surrounding food issues?
Recently, someone sent us a link to a website for Dr. Rima Laibow, www.healthfreedomusa.org, and her video, “Nutricide: the DVD”. It’s a short video, available for viewing at no charge, and I encourage every one of you to go and have a look at it.
When I did, I found myself understanding, once again, the insidious and complex nature of harmonization and globalization, trade sanctions, and well, corporate irresponsibility and greed.
If any of you believe that Codex Alimentarius is actually good for us, in light of the other parts of this complex global picture, and can prove it, then I invite you to do so. But I want you to know that I won’t be taking any personal telephone calls on this topic, and if you have anything to say, please put it in writing.
You can send your thoughts to: lorna@hans.org or a written letter to Lorna Hancock, HANS, #202 – 5262 Rumble St., Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6.
If any of you would like to recommend someone who you feel would be an excellent speaker on this topic, and have a global (not local) view, then I invite you to send their name and website, and what they’d be able to speak on, to hans@hans.org.
Apparently, change is looming, and we have all, myself included, been lulled into an almost hypnotic calm on the topic of CODEX. Perhaps it’s time to have another look.
All the best,
Lorna Hancock
Founding Member & Director
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You may be able to write off your health-care costs. Check out the HANS ADVANTAGE at www.hans.org
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2) Expert on Genetically Engineered Foods Reveals Latest News
By Eleanor Boyle and Phil Harrison
Members of the Steering Committee, Coalition for a GE-Free BC
Scientific evidence is mounting to support the verdict that genetically engineered foods are harmful to health and the environment, according to writer Jeffrey Smith. A leading researcher and speaker on the controversies surrounding genetic engineering, Mr. Smith gave an information-packed lecture to a meeting in Burnaby organized by HANS last October.
Mr. Smith mentioned numerous studies showing damaging effects of genetically engineered (GE) foods, also known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs. He also spoke of the problems of government regulation of GMOs, which undergo very little scrutiny before receiving approval. And he said that public opposition to GMOs makes a difference.
Mr. Smith cited the story of respected scientist Dr. Arpad Pusztai who demonstrated that rats fed GE potatoes suffered a wide range of health problems including damaged immune systems. Suspended for his unpopular findings, Dr. Pusztai was the subject of events chronicled in Mr. Smith’s book, Seeds of Deception, demonstrating the power politics behind the business of GMOs. Mr. Smith is currently working on a new book intended to thoroughly document the risks of GE foods.
Animals don’t like to eat GE foods, and often for studies must be force-fed, Mr. Smith said. Knowing the dangers of these foods, he told the crowd that, in this regard, he is hoping to raise humans up to the level of animals! Most people in North America eat GE foods on a daily basis without even knowing it, he said. For information on avoiding GMOs in your diet, see below.
Regulations are lax for GE foods, said Mr. Smith, partly because regulatory agencies have unduly close relationships with agri-business. Numerous executives, for example, have moved back and forth in top jobs with Monsanto and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through a kind of government-industry revolving door. As part of that picture, Mr. Smith said that Monsanto and other industry giants have infiltrated and shaped the regulatory agencies, so that GE products now require little or no independent analysis. Basically, said Mr. Smith, if Monsanto says it’s safe, then the FDA says it’s safe.
The basic science underlying GE is questionable, according to Mr. Smith. Inserting genes into foreign species can cause many unintended results, and have done so in many documented cases.
Agribusiness companies, according to Mr. Smith, regularly design research studies specifically to come up with the desired results. He said industry scientists have conducted research studies so poorly designed that even when animal death rates doubled, it was still not considered statistically significant.
There are many activists - including Mr. Smith - working against GMOs, and he said such work appears to have had success. Though Monsanto’s goal was to have all foods patented within 20 years, today - 10 years after the introduction of GM foods - the only species significantly covered are canola, corn, soy and cotton. GM is grown in large amounts in only a few countries, including the US, Argentina, and Canada. Activist groups close to home include the Coalition for a GE Free BC (www.gefreebc.org), which works for a safe and sustainable non-GMO food supply. The national activist group on this issue is CBAN: the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (www.cban.ca).
In an interview before the lecture, Mr. Smith also talked about the power of the citizenry, and the need for public awareness. “The more people learn about GM foods, the less they trust them,” he said. Members of the public can call government and industry to account if they make their opinions known. Mr. Smith is engaged in campaigns to educate parents about the dangers of GE foods for children, and members of the general public about scientific findings on GMOs. You can read more about Jeffrey Smith’s work at www.responsibletechnology.org or www.seedsofdeception.com.
HANS sponsored the lecture by Mr. Smith as part of its ongoing support for campaigns to promote natural health, and sustainable food and agriculture. HANS has been working for more than 20 years to promote natural medicine and an integrative approach to wellness.
How to Avoid GE Foods
1. As much as possible buy organic, which does not allow GMO contamination in growing, handling, or processing.
2. Be careful with canned or packaged foods containing conventional (non-organic) corn, canola, or soy. These have a high probability of containing GMOs.
3. You’re fairly safe with fresh vegetables obtained in BC, even if they’re conventional, though organic is healthier. Isolated species such as papaya from Hawaii may be GE.
4. If you eat and buy conventional meat, the animals may have been fed GE soy and/or corn. (In the new film “Fast Food Nation”, you’ll see Avril Lavigne as a teen eco-activist outside an American meat-packing plant, trying to free the poor cows that are given “genetically engineered feed” instead of grass.)
5. For dairy products, be careful with American non-organic milk, cheese, and the like. These derive from cows which may have been injected with genetically engineered growth hormone.
6. Check out the useful booklet How to Avoid Genetically Engineered Food, at www.greenpeace.ca/shoppersguide.
7. Buy ethical and healthy non-GMO products from companies that emphasize organics. There are many, including manufacturers such as Nature’s Path and Avalon Dairy, retailers including Choices and Capers, food-delivery services such as Small Potatoes Urban Delivery (SPUD), and wholesale distributors such as Pro Organics. There are also neighbourhood retailers, new organic manufacturers, and other companies in what is a growing market.
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3) ISSUE UPDATES
Georgia Straight Alliance: Make Your Voice Heard on Climate Change
There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that the impact of climate change will be devastating. As the recently released report by British economist Sir Nicholas Stern warns, if we do not address climate change right now, we will suffer major disruption to economic and social activity later in this century, losing up to 20 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product. There is no longer any doubt that the impacts of climate change are serious threats not only to British Columbia’s environment, but also to our economy and way of life.
We need the government of BC to show leadership in addressing the very real threat of climate change. Please join the Georgia Straight Alliance in asking the BC government to immediately strike a Special Committee on Climate Change, charged with creating a Climate Change Action Plan for British Columbia, and that implementation of such a plan begin as quickly as possible.
More at http://www.georgiastrait.org/Articles2006/action-cli...
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Ask Wal-Mart to Stop Selling Fluoride “Nursery Water” to Infants
On Nov 9th, 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) issued an alert advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula. The ADA’s advice, however, has been mostly ignored by the media.
Nursery Water, the nation’s leading fluoridated water for babies, still markets its product nationwide at Wal-Mart and other major retailers. Help us stop this unsafe practice by signing this online petition to Wal-Mart.
More at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/walmart/
AND
Flouride: It’s Bad for Your Teeth, American Dental Association Admits
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8816
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Significant 10-Year Increase in Surgeries Performed in Canadian Hospitals
January 10, 2007-The overall number of surgeries being performed in Canadian hospitals has increased by 17 percent between 1995-1996 and 2005-2006, and by give percent over the last year, according to new analysis released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This first look at a 10-year trend reveals that in hospitals across the country, more surgeries are being performed in an outpatient day surgery setting (an increase of 31 percent over 10 years), while inpatient surgeries have decreased by 17 percent over the past decade.
More at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) website at www.cihi.ca.
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4) MEDIA WATCH
Canadians Support Green Tax Credit, Poll
http://www.canada.com/topics/finance/story.html?id=7...
Arctic Ice Melting Faster Than Expected
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/science/11cnd-arct...
BC Pushed to Match California Global Warming Targets
http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/01/09/EnergyPlan/?source...
Fill ‘er Up: A Grist Special Series on Biofuels
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/12/04/biofue...
Brazil Creates Largest Tropical Rainforest Preserve
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11783
Pharmacy Pamphlets Omitting Key Information
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.htm...
Quebec Allows Vioxx Class-Action Suit
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/176/1/20?etoc
Institute of Medicine’s New Drug Safety Report: Implications for Canada
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/175/12/1515?etoc...
Hospitals Remain a Breeding Ground for Infection
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.htm...
North America Acts to Reduce Risk of Exposure to Lindane
http://www.cec.org/news/details/index.cfm?varlan=eng...
Eliminate 90 Percent of Pesticides in Your Diet: Boycott Dirty Dozen & Buy Organic
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8815
Organic Grapes, Organic Wine
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3423&printview&images...
Survey: Americans Fuzzy on Biotech Foods
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_355...
Despite Lack of Science and Strong Public Concern, FDA Expected to OK Food From Cloned Animals
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8875
100-Mile Chef Doesn’t Have Cold Feet: BC’s First Totally Local Mid-winter Restaurant Menu
http://thetyee.ca/Life/2006/11/30/100MileChef/index....
Slow Food’s Growing Pains: Want to Eat Local? Get in Line
http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/12/27/WinterMarket/index...
Decline in Breast Cancer Since HRT Study
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/176/2/160-a?etoc...
National Cancer Institutes Drops Claim of Imminent Victory Over Cancer
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121006.html
The Long-term Effects of Chemotherapy on the Central Nervous System
http://jbiol.com/content/5/7/21/abstract/
Tai Chi Beneficial Exercise for Seniors
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8845
For more current stories, check out “News” at www.hans.org.
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4) Calendar of Events
Healthy Aging: Look and Feel Your Best!
Who: Dr. Brian Martin, BSc, ND
When: Saturday, January 27th 12noon – 4pm
Where: ENERCHANGES, Unit M-11 601 West Broadway
Cost: $50
Contact: Seating is limited. Call EnerChanges at 604-681-8380 to reserve.
Hear anti-aging information that will change your life forever. You are not a prisoner to genetic destiny! In this workshop you will learn how anti-aging medicine can change the process of aging. Dr. Martin will give you the keys to healthy aging: how to minimize your potential for disease and maximize your potential for health, energy, vitality and happiness.
Brian Martin, BSc, ND is a naturopathic physician with 13 years experience treating patients with anti-aging naturopathic medicine. He is the founder of EnerChanges, the first clinic in Canada to combine naturopathic medicine with a fully integrated fitness facility. You will learn about his unique approach which integrates mind-body medicine with state-of-the-art medical treatments and state-of-the-science fitness facilities in one location.
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German New Medicine Seminar ONE
Who: Caroline Markolin, PhD, approved German New Medicine teacher
When: February 3 - 4, 2007; 9 am - 4 pm
Where: VEC-Vancouver English Centre, 250 Smithe Street
Cost: $250
Contact: Information and Registration: 604-681-2474; cmarkolin@germannewmedicine.ca; website: www.germannewmedicine.ca
After a thorough introduction into GNM, Seminar ONE covers Dr. Hamer’s medical findings about the emotional causes (“conflicts”) related to lung cancer, breast cancer, uterus cancer, uterus fibroids, prostate cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, IBS, candida infections, liver cancer, lymphoma, kidney cancer, water retention, arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, bone cancer, osteosarcoma, leukemia, spleen enlargement, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, angina pectoris, heart attacks (coronary infarction), and lung embolism. The seminar presents a broad selection of Dr. Hamer’s case studies. NO PREREQUISITES. Everybody is welcome!
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Whole Foods for Health
Who: Sandra Tonn
When: Thursday, February 8, 2007, 6:30-9:30 pm
Where: Carson Graham (2145 Jones Avenue, North Vancouver)
Cost: $26
Contact: 604-903-3333 or register online at: www.conted44.com
Whole foods are the foods the body requires for creating health and preventing disease. This seminar will explain why processed foods are responsible for our declining health. The links between processed foods and disease will be discussed as well as label reading and the dangers of many food additives and sugar substitutes. The benefits of whole foods will be covered as well.
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Purchasing and Preparing Whole Foods
Who: Sandra Tonn
When: Thursday, February 15, 2007, 6:30-9:30 pm
Where: Carson Graham (2145 Jones Avenue, North Vancouver)
Cost: $26
Contact: Call 604-903-3333 or register online at: www.conted44.com
Whole foods contain all of the nutrients we require to be healthy. Eating whole foods is the most natural way to heal from illness, achieve an ideal weight, and to increase health and physical well being. This seminar will emphasize the importance of whole food and cover topics including, grocery shopping, organic vs. non-organic foods, food storage, proper preparation of whole foods, and safe cookware options.
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Food Issues
Who: Sandra Tonn
When: Saturday, February 17, 2007, 9 am - 12 pm
Where: Lucas Centre (2132 Hamilton Avenue, North Vancouver)
Cost: $26
Contact: Call 604-903-3333 or register online at: www.conted44.com
Are you confused about the information pertaining to genetically modified foods, farmed fish, irradiation, health claims, food labels, avian flu, and mad cow disease? Registered Holistic Nutritionist and natural health journalist, Sandra Tonn will deliver the facts on today’s food issues, along with practical advice about how to keep food decisions simple and eating safe and enjoyable. This seminar includes viewing of the film “The Future of Food”, which is about genetically modified foods.
Note: Sign up for both Saturday courses and lunch is included.
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Vegetarian Nutrition
Who: Sandra Tonn
When: Saturday, February 17, 2007, 1- 4 pm
Where: Lucas Centre (2132 Hamilton Avenue, North Vancouver)
Cost: $26
Contact: Call 604-903-3333 or register online at: www.conted44.com
Whether you are vegetarian, want to become vegetarian, or simply want to eat less meat, this seminar will help you understand why and how a vegetarian diet can be a healthy choice. Practical information about vegetarianism in terms of both healing and preventing chronic disease will be provided, as well as tips for creating balanced and satisfying vegetarian meals.
Note: Sign up for both Saturday courses and lunch is included.
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German New Medicine Seminar ONE
Who: Caroline Markolin, PhD, approved German New Medicine teacher
When: February 17 - 18, 2007; 9 am - 4 pm
Where: VEC-Vancouver English Centre, 250 Smithe Street
Cost: $250
Contact: Information and Registration: 604-681-2474; cmarkolin@germannewmedicine.ca; website: www.germannewmedicine.ca
After a thorough introduction into GNM, Seminar ONE covers Dr. Hamer’s medical findings about the emotional causes (“conflicts”) related to lung cancer, breast cancer, uterus cancer, uterus fibroids, prostate cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, IBS, candida infections, liver cancer, lymphoma, kidney cancer, water retention, arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, bone cancer, osteosarcoma, leukemia, spleen enlargement, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, angina pectoris, heart attacks (coronary infarction), and lung embolism. The seminar presents a broad selection of Dr. Hamer’s case studies. NO PREREQUISITES. Everybody is welcome!
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Yoga and Nutrition
Who: Sandra Tonn
When: Thursday, February 22, 2007, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Where: Carson Graham (2145 Jones Avenue, North Vancouver)
Cost: $28
Contact: Call 604-903-3333 or register online at: www.conted44.com
Most people do not consider nutrition a part of yoga, but it is. Shopping, cooking and eating are all opportunities to practice yoga. This seminar will provide valuable information for the modern day yogi by relating the diet to yoga’s ten living principles, the Yamas and Niyamas. Topics will include conscious shopping, food quality, balanced eating, how yoga improves digestion, and more. The seminar will include a mini yoga class relative to nutrition. Bring your yoga mat, a pillow, a blanket, a journal or paper, and your passion for food and yoga.
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Cause and Prevention of Heart Attacks
Who: Caroline Markolin, PhD
When: February 22, 2007; 7:15 - 9:45 pm
Where: Best Western Sands Hotel, Banquet Room, 1755 Davie St. (x Denman), West End
Cost: $20 (at the door)
Contact: 604-681-2474. Registration not necessary. website: www.germannewmedicine.ca
This German New Medicine presentation covers Dr. Hamer’s discoveries about the relationship between emotional distress and the development of heart conditions such as angina pectoris, heart arrhythmia, etc. You will learn about the importance of cholesterol in the healing and maintenance of the coronary vessels. Dr. Hamer’s medical research also offers a solid explanation for why hormone drugs, e.g. HRT, increase the risk of a heart attack. Understanding the nature of heart attacks in a psychological, biological, and evolutionary framework allows us to practice real preventive medicine.
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Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health promotion information.