CONTENTS
1) Editorial
2) Feature: Health Consumers Take to the Internet
3) Issue Updates
-- National Food Fight Launched to Stop Genetically Engineered Crops
-- Genetic Engineering Trade Issues Highlighted in New Report
-- How Smart are Our ‘Smart’ Regulations?
4) Media Watch
--Legal Move to Make EU Publish GM Test Results
--Common Chemical May Cause Defects in Baby Boys
--The Drain Brain – Unclogging Without Chemicals
--Men Find Health Benefits with Acupuncture
--Magnetic Stimulation May Improve Stroke Recovery
--Computer Systems Aren’t Reducing Medical Errors
--Legislation Would Bar Industry-Connected Scientists from Reviewing Drugs
--Protein Drink May Sharpen Morning Mental Skills
--Study: Kids Can Be Trained to Eat Better
--Ginseng Substance Fight Brain Disease in Rats
--Fish for the Brain!
--Diet with Fibre, Soy, Vegetables as Effective as Statins, Study
--Low Zinc Intake May Zap Exercisers’ Energy
--More Troubles with Teflon Toxicity
--Monsanto’s Roundup Linked to Pregnancy and Reproductive Problems
5) Calendar of Events
--Herbs: How to Know Them and Use Them
--International Symposium on Hyperbaric Therapy for Neurological Disorders, Athletes and Cellular Regeneration
--Small Scale Seed Production for Organic Farmers Workshop
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1) EDITORIAL
Hello Members & Friends of HANS;
Well, early summer is here and isn’t it funny how good weather always seems to come in hand with increased activity? At our office, we’re busy working out the small details of HANS ON WELLNESS (HOW) Insurance and preparing the next issue of Health Action.
Speaking of the magazine, if you’d like to advertise in the upcoming summer issue, e-mail hans@hans.org and we’ll send you the advertising rates and details. The deadline for advertising is June 30th.
As days get warmer and warmer, I hope you’ll make time to take a quick trip to our website, which offers new features, including the Discussion Forum. This online forum gives people who care about the future of natural health products in a place to discuss issues such as Codex and Bill C-420.
All the best,
Lorna J Hancock
Founding Member & Director
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2) FEATURE: HEALTH CONSUMERS TAKE TO THE INTERNET
By Michelle Hancock
Feeling under the weather? Fifty years ago, you’d likely book a visit with your family physician, at that time the primary source of health knowledge. No longer. In this era of consumerism, people—especially Canadians—also turn to books, magazines, friends, family, and that great cyber-highway, the Internet.
Searching for health information is the number-one online activity in Canada according to a recent Ipsos-Reid poll. Of 1,000 respondents, two-thirds (66 per cent) of those online have visited a health website, up from 55 per cent in 2000. Many continue to do so on a regular monthly (66 per cent) or weekly (22 per cent) basis.
Researchers also found women are more likely to search for health information on the Internet than men (76 per cent versus 56 per cent). Eighty-one per cent of users visit sites offering disease prevention, treatment, and cure information, as well as sites about nutrition (51 per cent), prescription drugs (35 per cent), and exercise (29 per cent), followed by those offering support groups (13 per cent).
“The Internet has had a dramatic effect on empowering Canadians by making them more knowledgeable,” noted Andrew Grenville, senior vice president of Ipsos-Reid’s Healthcare practice, in a December 2002 press release. “Over the years, our research has revealed an ongoing trend in which Canadians are becoming more active participants in their own health. The Internet is helping Canadians feel less like patients and more like informed consumers.”
For Alana Holt of Victoria, BC, becoming informed meant doing her own research after her doctor recommended she give Zantac, an over-the-counter heartburn medication to her colicky four-month-old son Marlon. “I was really concerned, so I wanted to check it out,” she said. “How much would this affect my child? I wanted to make sure I was making the most educated decision.”
Alana eventually refused the Zantac, whose reported side-effects include constipation, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, as well as damage to the liver, and cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Instead, she discovered that removing spices, caffeine, and high acid foods from her own diet while breastfeeding, and making simple changes such as holding Marlon upright more often and walking with him until he fell asleep reduced his colic.
“The Internet is a great source of information,” says Dr. Nigma T. Sciortino of West Vancouver, BC. “However, at times it can be misleading. When it comes to health, there is no one-size-fits-all medicine.”
When patients arrive at Dr. Sciortino’s office laden with Internet printouts, she reviews the data with them to validate or discredit it. Indeed, as many of Canada’s close to 10 million Internet users have discovered, the Web can be fraught with advice containing information pitfalls that are contradictory, wrong, outdated, and, without proper interpretation, quite possibly dangerous.
“I recommend patients continue to do their own research, as health is their responsibility, but information should be discussed with their naturopathic physician,” says Dr. Sciortino.
Alana agrees that patient-physician communication is essential. “We have to take responsibility for our health and work with the doctor as a team instead of just relying on them,” she says. “I think it would be very scary if we didn’t educate ourselves because of where the health-care system is at right now.”
Reprinted with author permission from alive Magazine, January 2004.
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3) ISSUE UPDATES
National Food Fight Launched to Stop Genetically Engineered Crops
PRESS RELEASE
VANCOUVER – Canadians are joining regions, communities and countries around the world in declaring their communities GE-Free Zones.
Launched June 2, 2005, the GE-Free Canada campaign is a nationwide, grass-roots effort by farmers, environmentalists, and ordinary Canadians concerned with issues of food safety and food sovereignty.
Community by community, citizens are banding together to create a web of zones across Canada that are free of genetically engineered (GE) plants, animals, crops and trees. The campaign’s goal is to have 50 communities in Canada declare themselves GE-Free in the next two years.
“For years I have fought for farmers’ rights to decide what we grow and how we grow it. GE-Free Zones extend that principle to the entire community,” says Saskatchewan farmer and world-renowned food sovereignty activist Percy Schmeiser. “This movement is about long-term economic sustainability, local control over food production, a healthy environment and democracy as opposed to food profiteering and the destruction of our genetic biodiversity through corporate control of seeds and agriculture.”
The GE-Free movement already has incredible momentum in Canada. Salt Spring Island, BC and Powell River, BC have passed municipal resolutions declaring themselves GE-Free Crop Areas. Prince Edward Island is currently holding legislative committee hearings to decide whether to make the province GE-Free. Numerous communities across the prairies have passed municipal resolutions banning GE wheat.
“Currently, biotech giants such as Monsanto Canada aren’t held accountable when their GE seeds contaminate a farmer’s fields. Farmers, on the other hand, are forced to pay up to the corporation or lose their farms,” says Tara Scurr of the Council of Canadians. “With the attempted introduction of untested GE crops, terminator and predator seeds, keeping food safe and in the control of local communities is a battle we cannot afford to lose.”
Communities in Europe, Asia, and the United States have banded together to fight GE products at local and national levels. Over 100 regions of Europe and 3400 local authorities have told biotech companies that their genetically engineered crops are not welcome.
"As community activists working to promote a democratic food system, our chapter feels that this is a real opportunity to engage our community around ethical consuming and to support sustainable local farming practices. It's a question of 'eat local, think global.' Right now food is controlled by large corporations with a global reach and an absence of ethics, not by local farmers and consumers. And that's scary." says Tony Beck of the Council of Canadians Vancouver North Shore Chapter.
Canadians want a moratorium on the planting and harvesting of genetically engineered crops, plants, trees, and animals until the public is satisfied that they do not threaten human health or Canada’s genetic biodiversity.
The Council of Canadians
700-170 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5
Tel: 613-233-2773; toll-free: 1-800-387-7177
Fax: 613-233-6776
E-mail: inquiries@canadians.org
Web: www.canadians.org
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Genetic Engineering Trade Issues Highlighted in New Report
Canada is one of the world’s top cultivators of genetically engineered (GE) plants, recently noted the United Nation’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD).
There are currently 81 million hectares of GE plants grown worldwide, a 47-fold jump since 1996. The United States accounted for 59 per cent of the total. Argentina was second with 20 per cent. Canada and Brazil tied next at six per cent each.
The UNCTD’s 61-page report notes the pressure that big GE producers such as the United States and Europe have on poorer Third World countries.
To read the report, visit http://www.thecampaign.org/UNCTAD.pdf.
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How Smart Are Our ‘Smart’ Regulations?
In theory, there’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to improve health and safety regulations, but Ottawa’s ‘Smart Regulation’ plan is under fire from groups fearing that, if the industry-friendly initiative goes through, we’ll sacrifice federal autonomy on decisions pertaining to everything to drug assessments to agricultural seeds.
Visit http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/172/12/1544-a?et....
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4) MEDIA WATCH
Legal Move to Make EU Publish GM Test Results
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseactio....
Common Chemical May Cause Defects in Baby Boys
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-05-26-plast...
The Drain Brain – Unclogging Without Chemicals
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2005/05/25/umbra-dra...
Men Find Health Benefits With Acupuncture
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=7674
Magnetic Stimulation May Improve Stroke Recovery
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?artic...
Exercise Boosts Breast Cancer Survival
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?artic...
Computer Systems Aren’t Reducing Medical Errors
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?artic...
Legislation Would Bar Industry-Connected Scientists from Reviewing Drugs
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=7682
Protein Drink May Sharpen Morning Mental Skills
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=4&u=...
Soda Ups Obesity But Isn’t Sole Culprit
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=5&u=...
Study: Kids Can Be Trained to Eat Better
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&e=6&u=...
Ginseng Substance Fight Brain Disease in Rats
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=5&u=...
Fish for the Brain!
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/newsmaker_article.as...
Diet with Fibre, Soy, Vegetables as Effective as Statins – Study
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/newsmaker_article.as...
Low Zinc Intake May Zap Exercisers’ Energy
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=4&u=...
More Troubles With Teflon Toxicity
http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/7/teflon_toxicity.ht...
Monsanto’s Roundup Linked to Pregnancy and Reproductive Problems
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/pregnancy06...
For more current titles, check out “News” at www.hans.org.
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5) CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Herbs: How to Know Them and Use Them
Who: Lorene Benoit, Certified Master of Holistic Health, Herbalist, Iridologist, Contact Reflex Analyst and Regenesis Healer (emotional and energy balancing)
When: July 8-11, Mon-Fri 9am-4pm
Where: 5175 Bills Road, Duncan, BC
Cost: $475, early bird before July 1st, $375
Contact: 250-748-6802
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International Symposium on Hyperbaric Therapy for Neurological Disorders, Athletes and Cellular Regeneration
When: June 8-11
Where: Quebec Convention Center, 1000, boul. René-Lévesque Est
Quebec City, PQ
Cost: 25$/day, simultaneous translation earpiece: 3$/day
Contact: www.billetech.com
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Small Scale Seed Production for Organic Farmers Workshop
Who: John Navazio of the Organic Seed Alliance
When: July 12-14 - Tues 6-9pm, Wed and Thurs 10am-6pm
Where: Saanich, BC
Cost: $150, includes reading materials and meals
Contact: Chris Wells at 250-658-5420
E-mail: quinoa@shaw.ca
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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.