The Associated Press Sep 27, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - California rice farmers are worried Japanese customers will boycott their products if genetically engineered rice is allowed into the state. In Hawaii, organic papaya farmers are outraged because traces of genetically engineered papaya are showing up in their harvest. Biologists call it "gene flow." It's how plants have swapped genetic material through cross pollination since life first appeared. But for people who choose to grow crops without genetically altering them, this natural biological exchange is a threat when bioengineered organisms are involved.

Oregon study

Last week, already heightened tensions between the biotech industry and its foes peaked when the U.S. government published a study showing that genetically engineered grass found its way into conventionally grown grass some 12 miles away in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The study led to renewed calls for tighter gene-flow regulations, especially from farmers who promise customers that their products are free of genetically modified material.

More farmers are reporting finding trace amounts of genetically modified organisms cross-pollinated or otherwise mingled with their organically grown crops. Those are potentially devastating discoveries because organic consumers generally demand that the higher-priced food they buy be free of biotechnological adulteration. The problem, like the weather, respects no boundaries.

Around the world

A North American Free Trade Agreement watchdog group said in March it had found genetically engineered corn in Mexico despite that country's 6-year-old biotechnology ban. Meanwhile, consumers in Japan, Europe and elsewhere demand all their crops are grown conventionally. Farmers who can't make those biotech guarantees risk losing those markets.

U.S. labeling rules allow for trace amounts of genetically engineered material in organic products. Still, organic growers and other growers fear market perception will turn against them if customers perceive that gene flow isn't being controlled. That's why many rice farmers in California opposed a biotechnology company's plan this summer to increase the acreage it devotes to rice spliced with human genes to produce medicines. The state government refused to let the company expand. It's also why organic growers in Hawaii earlier this month symbolically dumped 20 genetically engineered papayas into a trash bin labeled with a "biohazard" sign. Papayas genetically engineered to resist a virus were first grown commercially in 1998 and widely credited with turning around a moribund industry devastated by disease.

But the bioengineered variety is not the only papaya grown in Hawaii. "We are finding widespread contamination, and farmers are concerned," said Noli Hoye of the Hawaii anti-biotech group that organized the protest. "Once these genetically engineered crops are released commercially, they can't be contained."  An increasing number of scientific studies show evidence that genetically engineered crops are creeping into conventionally grown fields, including the grass study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Union of Concerned Scientists in February found trace amounts of genetically engineered seeds of corn, soy and canola mixed in with seeds that were supposed to be conventionally bred. "We are concerned about gene flow," said U.S. Agriculture Department spokeswoman Meghan Thomas. But she said the USDA's regulatory reach extends only to experimental crops. Once biotech crops are approved for market, as papayas were in 1997, the government's oversight essentially ends.

Fears exaggerated?

The levels of cross-pollination in other studies were found to be minuscule, and industry leaders say gene flow concern is overblown. "Organic acreage has really boomed at the same time biotech acreage has boomed," said Chris Horner, a spokesman for Monsanto. "With good agricultural practices, there is no reason these two technologies can't coexist." Horner and others point out that no known lawsuits have been filed against any biotechnology company alleging that gene flow has caused anyone economic harm.

Call for coexistence

"It has not been a significant problem, and proving gene flow caused you economic harm will be difficult," said Drew Kershner, a University of Oklahoma law professor who has written extensively on the subject. "If you are neighborly and trying to get along, biotechnology and organic farming can coexist very easily."

Still, some organic farmers say the cross-pollination issue already is cutting into their profits because they've undertaken more costly planting processes or lost sales over fears their crops were corrupted by genetically modified organisms. The Organic Farming Research Foundation said about 11 percent of the farmers responding to a survey last year said they have been DNA-testing crops for the presence of genetically modified organisms.

One of the questions that I frequently get asked is "What steps do I need to take to begin getting my hormones in balance?"  The following is what I suggest:

1)  Test your hormone levels.  This should include saliva testing and blood testing.  For more information on how you can do this yourself call Oasis Advanced Wellness about how to obtain kits to use in the privacy of your own home.  You will need to test for estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and cortisol.

2)  Educate yourself on the topic of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and balancing your hormones naturally.  A good place to start is my e-book--Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs...You Can Feel Good Again. This will not only address your hormones but also help you to bring your whole body into balance...from the comfort of your own home.  You can purchase this at www.oasisserene.com

2)  Take your results to a healthcare professional that you trust and one that works with bio-identical hormones.  If you cannot find a healthcare professional in your area we offer telephone consults and will be glad to assist you in reaching your health goals.

3)  If you are currently on HRT go to www.oasisserene.com for instructions on how to get off HRT.  You will need to wean yourself off gradually. 

4)  As good as bio-identical hormones replacement therapy is, it is not an end-all.  Your goal should be to bring your body into total health.

5)  You must be willing to address detoxification, diet, water in-take, supplementation, exercise, physical / emotional stress and environment.  This is a MUST. 

6)  Once you start on a program you should monitor your hormone levels every three months for one year.  This eliminates all the guess work as to whether or not what you are doing is actually working.

It would be easy for me to include, in the above suggestions, vitamin/supplement recommendations like B-Complex, Vitamin E, etc.  The reason that I do not is because many will go to a local drugstore or grocery store to purchase these supplements.  All supplements/vitamins are not created equal.  Sometimes the fillers and excipients can negate any benefit that you might get from the vitamin.  I believe this is one reason why natural medicine is not taken seriously by many people.  They tried a $6.95 supplement and it did not work, so the thought is that using a natural approach does not work.  It can be over whelming and time consuming to decide which supplements are best and which ones will work.  This is why I believe it is important for most people to have a healthcare professional on their team who is trained in knowing what supplements will be be absorbed, transported and utilized.

At Oasis Advanced Wellness, we not only specialize in getting the hormones in balance for women and men, but in the process we will help you to get your whole body in balance.  For many it is the first time in a long, long time that they begin to experience true health.  We can help you, too and count it a privilege to be "your partner in health."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - America's children are getting fatter and need help from parents, schools, the government, advertisers and the food industry to get back in shape, a panel of experts said Thursday.

The report on childhood obesity from the Institute of Medicine paints a picture of children awash in a society that makes it difficult to exercise and eat right, from suburbs with no sidewalks to schools that sell sugary snacks in vending machines. "At present, approximately nine million children over 6 years of age are considered obese," the report reads.

It does not call for sweeping legislation but proposes moves such as clearer labeling requirements for junk foods and getting schools involved in monitoring students' weight and health.

The institute, an independent group that advises the federal government on health matters such as vitamin requirements and medical insurance, appointed a committee of pediatricians, educators, industry experts and lawyers to look at childhood obesity. The report says nutritional standards should be set for all foods and beverages served on school grounds, including those from vending machines. The committee of 19 experts also recommended that schools add programs to get children to exercise at least half an hour a day.

VOLUNTARY RESTRICTIONS

The food, beverage, and entertainment industries should self-regulate how they sell food and drink to children, modeled perhaps on voluntary guidelines for promoting alcohol, the panel said. Restaurants should do more to provide healthy alternatives and should list calorie content and nutrition information.

"Frankly, how many more of these reports do we need before the government actually starts adopting some of these policies?" asked Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has been pressing for strong legislation and regulations to limit junk-food marketing to children. "Congress should help parents by requiring calories and other nutrition information on chain-restaurant menus, getting junk foods out of schools, and by directing the Federal Trade Commission to restrict the advertising of junk foods to kids." U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said his department was working to encourage exercise and healthier eating. "The FDA is examining how to revise food labels to ensure that parents clearly understand how many calories they and their children are consuming," Thompson said in a statement.

Parents should encourage healthier eating and should help their children get more exercise, partly by limiting time in front of the television or computer to two hours or less a day, the panel said. Surveys by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation have found that nearly one out of every four children aged 8 and older spend more than five hours a day watching TV, and that children 6 and under spend an average of two hours a day watching television or playing computer and video games. The foundation estimated the typical child saw about 40,000 commercials a year on TV, most for candy, cereal, soda and fast food. The food and beverage industries spend $10 billion or more a year marketing directly to children and youth, the committee found. "By the time they are 14 years old, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls are drinking three or more eight-ounce (225-gram) servings of soda a day," the institute noted.

Dr. Lanphier's Comment: 

We do not need government help or control in this area.  We do need for parents to take control--at home and in the schools. Some good suggestions are given in the article but I believe that we need to go farther.  The following 10 Suggestions will help to get your children healthy: 

1)  Provide only purified water for drinking--school and home.

2) Provide children with at least 3 recesses each day at school.  One should be an organized exercise time and varied in approach--pilates, yoga, power walking, etc.

3) Parents need to be willing to take control of the computer and the TV.  No TV during the week would be a good policy.  Lead by example.

4) Replace school vending machines with healthy snacks.

5) Eliminate Fast Food Bars in schools. Either eat in the cafeteria (parents should require the school to provide healthy food) or bring a healthy lunch from home.

6) Children should spend at least one hour of play time, outside if weather permits, after school.

7) At home snacks should be fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts/seeds, protein smoothies.  Get your children involved with the growing, shopping and cooking of vegetables.  Farmers' Markets can be a fun shopping trip.  Teach them what vegetables will do to their body and how important they are. Try to eat organic as much as possible.  Lunch and dinner should be healthy and include a salad.  Lead by example.  Limit going out to eat to 1x/week.

8) Every child should eat a healthy breakfast.  Processed cereal is not healthy.  Provide an organic multi-vitmain/mineral supplement for your child every day. 

9) Replace refined sugar with stevia or Xylitol.  Eliminate grocery store milk (substitute with almond milk).  By implementing just these two sugggestions you will be amazed at the results you see in your children! 

10) Limit extracurricular activities to no more than two each week.  Children can get stressed on go on "overload" very quickly.  This encourages families to spend time at home which will make healthy eating more condusive. 

Editor:  Dr. Loretta Lanphier, ND, CN, HHP

Published monthly by:
Oasis Advanced Wellness
www.oasisadvancedwellness.com  
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