America’s Health Dilema

Here’s a quote from Dr. Mercoa’s website:

Cheat Disease by Changing Your Environment

It has become clear to many that efforts to halt the growing epidemics of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cancer are failing.

Many experts believe a primary reason is easy access to unhealthful foods and busy lives that squeeze out exercise.

As a result, many new preventative health initiatives in states, cities and communities are being inaugurated across the United States.

On September 28, the American Cancer Society (ACS) concluded that only by creating a “social environment that promotes healthy food choices and physical activity” can the United States reduce cancer deaths linked to obesity and lack of exercise.

In response, on October 6 the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation announced an agreement with several food companies to adopt the ACS’ nutritional guidelines for snacks sold in schools. Other initiatives, sponsored by government agencies, universities, or private businesses, are growing in number.

Current U.S. health spending is $2.2 trillion a year, and it could reach $4 trillion by 2015. Taking care of the sick accounts for roughly 96 percent of these costs, with only about 4 percent going toward prevention.

USA Today October 18, 2006

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Dr. Mercola’s Comment:

USA Today ran a week-long series on what to do about America’s out-of-control health care costs, and they featured experts suggesting more natural solutions. The problem is growing, and the facts are so compelling that even the CDC’s director of prevention and health promotion can’t ignore them, saying that:

“Two-thirds of the deaths and 80 percent of the cost of health in this country are associated with chronic disease. This country is dramatically moving in the wrong direction.”

Why is this important to know?

Well, let me tell you. Our current system is really good at ACUTE care but, as you can see from the conservative estimates of the CDC, that is not what people are dying from.

So when you apply the ER drug/surgical model to chronic disease you have an unmitigated disaster that dramatically exacerbates the problem.

And it’s getting worse.

In 2001, fully half of all bankruptcies were the result of medical problems and most of those (more than three-quarters) who went bankrupt were covered by health insurance at the start of the illness. That’s 700,000 U.S. households devastated by medically related bankruptcies, with more than 2 million people affected.

But some are taking steps to turn this around, using the only method that will work — preventing people from getting ill in the first place. In urban Philadelphia, researchers from America and the UK have joined in a social experiment with a huge medical upside:

Offer easy access to healthful foods to an urban neighborhood where little to no options currently exist, except for processed, fast and trans-fatty foods.

This experiment has nothing to do higher insurance premiums or newer, even more expensive and dangerous drugs, and everything to do with the real heart of the health care conundrum. It’s all about trading a dangerous cure-based mentality fueled by unnecessary toxic drugs and procedures that may kill you for one focused on treating the true causes of disease safely and naturally.

Spinach question

Here’s the Hallelujah Acres response to the Spinach question:

THE E. COLI – SPINACH SCARE When news first broke that bagged spinach had been withdrawn from supermarket shelves across America following an E.coli outbreak that had killed 1 person and sickened 150 others, Rhonda and I had just purchased, that very day, a 1-pound container of Earthbound Farms organic SPINACH. After hearing the warning, that evening for supper we took a huge handful of that spinach we had just purchased, and had been warned not to eat, out of it’s container, added to the other vegetables making up our salad that evening, and ate it – and we did it without any fear of potential harm. You may ask: Why would you not be scared to death to eat it? My answer: Because both Rhonda and I are on The Hallelujah Diet and supplement with probiotics (friendly bacteria). Though The Hallelujah Diet will not make a person immune to all germs, viruses and bacteria, the diet will, in most instances, protect a person from most of them, and if the body does react, it will be a mild reaction. Let’s consider the subject of E.coli, an unfriendly bacterium, for a moment: Every year in America, according to the CDC (Center of Disease Control), E.coli causes some 61 deaths, and sickens an estimated 73,000. And according to the CDC, the CAUSE of these outbreaks is contamination coming from ANIMAL sources! So wouldn’t it be reasonable to ask: Why does 1 death caused by eating contaminated spinach from 1 field in California result in ALL spinach being removed from restaurant menus and store shelves, and yet when an E.coli outbreak occurs from contaminated animal product, there is no such general recall? Friends, whether we realize it or not, there is a war being waged against those of us who want to eat healthy. Some groups are already trying to use this E.coli/spinach issue to discredit organic farming practices and organic food. If you remember, it was only a few years ago that as a result of just 10 people being infected with E.coli from unpasteurized (raw) bottled juice, the sale of unpasteurized juices came to an almost screeching halt. The next thing to look for in the war against those of us who want to eat healthy, will be an effort to irradiate all fresh produce in order to kill potential contaminating bacteria, not so much for the purpose of protecting the consumer, but rather for the purpose of extending shelf life, resulting in increased profit. Friends, the Genesis 1:29 diet that God gave His human creation there in the Garden of Eden, was a 100% raw diet! Our bodies thrive on raw food, and slowly breaks down and dies on a diet of cooked, pasteurized, and irradiated foods. Finally, let me explain a little bit of the reason why Rhonda and this editor had no concerns regarding the eating of that organically grown spinach the day the warning of E.coli in spinach was issued. God designed our bodies to contain a ratio of about 85% friendly to 15% unfriendly bacteria in our body. When we eat a basically raw diet and supplement with a good probiotic to keep our immune system strong and our friendly bacteria in proper proportions, the friendly bacteria will overwhelm the bad bacteria, such as E.coli, and thus the bad E.coli bacteria will be unable to multiply and harm us. ___________________________________________________________

Peaceful familes

Here’s the original post on the yahoo groups radical christian unschoolers discussion board:

I would like to respond to the parents of the angry and fearful ones.

My husband and I are Health Ministers with Hallelujah Acres.

I have a 12 year old son. I have discovered that diet greatly affects one’s peace of mind.

The crunchier, the better. Try giving your children lots of raw fruit if they won’t eat raw vegetables.

Avoiding sugar, caffeine, and white flour–not to mention artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, and preservatives–contributes to a peaceful attitude.

Also, I’m sure getting to the bottom of the anger and fear is important.

What are they angry about? What are they fearful about?

Usually, love will conquer all. A loving attitude from the parent can solve most problems. Make sure all your actions and reactions are inspired by love.

____________________________________

Healing Testimony

Check out this testimony in this week’s Health Tip:

“Hello, George and Rhonda, We came to Health Minister
training, there at Hallelujah Acres in March 2005. What a
great time we had! At that time I had been on The
Hallelujah Diet for only 3 months. If you remember, I had
been diagnosed with bone cancer, lung cancer, and breast
cancer in December 2004, and when I had last seen my
oncologist in December 2004, I was offered no hope of
surviving my cancers. Then Carolyn Moore, a Health Minister
with Hallelujah Acres (In Orlando, Florida), showed me The
Hallelujah Diet, and I went on it the very next day. I
believe God gave me this diet to offer me hope, and that He
was going to heal me through this diet. Don’t we have an
awesome God! He gives you what you need at the right time.
Well, after I had been on The Hallelujah Diet for 6 months,
I went back for a cat scan of my lungs, which revealed that
the tumors on my left side were gone, and the ones on my
right side had gotten smaller. I can still feel the lump in
my breast, but it has gotten smaller! Praise the Lord! The
lung doctor, after seeing the scan, thought I was on some
type of medication, and was so surprised when I told him I
was on a diet and believed God was going to heal me through
the diet. He just had a big smile. Wish you could have seen
the look on his face as he looked at the scans. He asked me
several times to write down exactly what I was doing. He
wanted to know! I go in November for a full body scan and
that should tell me about the cancer that was in my bones.
Then I will also make a visit to the breast surgeon. I
haven’t been back to see her since I was diagnosed, and she
is a little upset with me, but maybe she will be happy when
she sees nothing on the sonogram. My husband Glenn is doing
great also! We really appreciate all that you and your
staff have done to tell people about the Hallelujah Diet.
It has been a blessing to know that someone cares enough to
tell others so they can also become well. I also appreciate
that you share God’s plan of salvation, because accepting
Christ, as our Savior is the single most important thing we
can do in this life. Thank you both so much and for the
sacrifice it takes to do all the work that you do. We
appreciate you!”

Amazing Testimony

This testimony was in this week’s Hallelujah Health Tip:

“I was away the entire month of August taking care of my
sister who had cancer. The results were fantastic! When I
arrived, she was very, very sick. She had been told on June
28 that she had STAGE-4 BREAST CANCER, and for the entire
month of July had been in and out of the hospital – more in
than out. The cancer was spreading very rapidly and she was
in a lot of pain. They had already drained 2 gallons of
fluid from her stomach twice. The cancer had started in her
breast and had spread to her stomach and bones. She was on
a puffer for a bad cough, caused by the fluid build up. The
doctors had placed her on medication for the cancer in her
bones, and had given her one bout of chemo. For the entire
month of July, she had not been able to eat or drink hardly
anything, had lost 30 pounds, and was having a terrible
time keeping anything down. When I arrived, I started her
immediately on BarleyMax the first day. On the second day
it was BarleyMax, and I added probiotics and enzymes. On
the evening of the second day we got a juicer that our
other sister had. On the third day she received BarleyMax,
probiotics, enzymes, and carrot juice, along with a little
raw food in the evening, which she was able to keep down.
By day 4, she felt so much better that she couldn’t wait
for her lunch. On day 5 she went to church, and was well
enough on the 6th day that we were able to go to a hot
springs resort for the day. On about the 5th day, I
started her on Fiber Cleanse along with BeetMax;, as well
as the B-12. Her results were nothing short of miraculous!
By the time I came home (after only one month), she was out
shopping, helping to make dinner and juice, and told me she
did not feel like she had cancer anymore. She had had her
stomach pumped out 3 days before I arrived for the second
time, but this was not necessary again after I started her
on The Hallelujah Diet, along with those supplements. Her
cough went away in 3 days, and the pain from the cancer in
her ribs went away after a week. It was at this point that
she decided on her own to not go for any more chemo and to
also stop all her medications. God is so good! I signed her
up for a seminar that a health minister is doing at Eagle
Rock Ranch on September 17, for the whole day. Health
Minister Jerrod Sessler (who saw his Stage 4 Melanoma
Cancer go away after adopting The Hallelujah Diet & was
featured in Back to the Garden #26), will be there to
speak, and my sister will have opportunity to talk to him.
I had to let you know the results of my trip – it was so
successful with God’s help.”

Medical Money Woes

Beyond Dollars: The Real Cost of the U.S. Health Care System

By Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, http://www.NewsTarget.com

The real cost of our modern health care system isn’t at all what you might think. It’s not the cost of paying for prescription drugs, surgical procedures or medical imaging tests. The real costs goes way beyond that, because it’s the cost of losing our global competitiveness as an industrialized nation.

Mike Adams

How can health care costs make an entire nation uncompetitive? Consider the fact that General Motors spends $1,500 per car health care costs alone. That’s a huge financial burden that simply doesn’t exist in countries like Japan or Korea where medicine is substantially more affordable for a number of reasons, including the fact that those nations have no FDA protecting a national drug monopoly.

Across corporate America, companies are finding that paying the extravagant health care costs of U.S. workers is driving them flat out of business. Due to the nature of the increasingly global marketplace (or what author Thomas Friedman calls the “flat world” economy), U.S. businesses are forced to cut costs or nosedive into bankruptcy. And part of the cost-cutting equation involves shifting jobs overseas to countries where not only are the wages lower, but the health care costs are substantially lower as well.

India’s workforce is not merely attractive because the people work for fewer dollars per hour, it’s also because health insurance in India (and throughout Asia) is acquired at a fraction of the price of health insurance in the U.S. Just how small of a fraction am I talking about? Consider this:

In Taiwan, working citizens are covered for merely $20 per month (in U.S. dollars). That $20 per month pays everything: Dental, maternity, prescription drugs, surgical procedures, imaging tests, you name it. Co-pays are stunningly affordable too. A $50 cash co-pay gets a citizen a collection of prescription drugs that easily exceed $1,000 in retail cost here in the U.S.

Similar cost efficiencies are present throughout Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand, South Korea, China, Malaysia and even the Philippines. In fact, health care is so darned affordable in these countries that hoards of Americans are fleeing the U.S. medical system on “medical tourism” trips that include airfare, a five-star hotel, a grand tour of a fascinating nation and a complete surgical procedure … all for a fraction of the cost of the surgical procedure alone in the United States.

That’s how expensive and inefficient organized medicine has become in the U.S. People can actually fly half-way around the world, take in a full vacation, and get the exact same procedure done (in a modern, high-tech medical facility, too, by the way) for a lot less than the same procedure at the hospital down the road.

So now we’re not just exporting our jobs, our dollars and our intellectual capital in this country, we’re also exporting our medical industry. We’re driving customers away from the U.S. in droves, and we’re driving businesses out of business at the same time.

It’s not just the private sector that’s suffering from this either: The public sector is going broke, too, thanks to medical costs. Cities, counties and states are almost universally overdrawn in terms of their future health care obligations to retirees. Most such benefits programs have zero funds set aside, and with health care costs continuing to escalate at a rate that vastly outpaces inflation, by the time today’s workers start retiring and claiming their health benefits, there’s hardly a city or state in this entire nation that will be left financially solvent. Organized medicine is, truly, about to bankrupt this country at every level imaginable.

How Did This Happen?

And yet, all the talk about solving this problem is little more than a distraction from the real problem. So-called “solutions” to the health care crisis in this country add up to clumsily cutting benefits and shifting costs to other parties. They do nothing to address the fundamental cause of the health care cost tar pit in which we now find ourselves solidly stuck.

What are those fundamental causes? Namely, that the system is essentially operated like an organized crime ring, where the aim is to maximize profits, not to serve the public good.

How do you maximize profits? It’s easy: You monopolize the domestic drug market (thank you, FDA), you keep people sick by avoiding any discussion of prevention, you stomp on the competition by outlawing or discrediting alternative medicine, and you create a regulatory environment where manufacturers and promoters of junk foods, soft drinks and other disease-promoting groceries are allowed to spend unlimited dollars on promotion and propaganda (especially to children).

In any such system, billions of dollars in profit will always flow to the drug companies. The negative side effect, of course, is that, practically, the entire nation will be sick and diseased:

You will have a nation of children with poorly functioning nervous systems who have extreme challenges learning anything (and who end up being drugged on yet more synthetic chemicals).

You will have a nation of elderly men and women who age rapidly, succumbing to unprecedented rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

You will have a nation of workers who remain unable to operate with peak mental clarity, whose productivity plummets with sick days and family leave, and whose best days are still only mediocre in terms of mental performance.

You see, the cost of our modern health care system is not found in the dollars and cents that might be shown in a colorful chart. The real cost is less obvious. It’s the loss of productivity, the loss of jobs, the loss of longevity and quality of life. It’s the loss of the health of an entire generation of children who will never be as healthy as their grandparents because their own mothers failed to follow even basic prenatal nutrition (not to mention what they fed those kids while they were growing up).

You’ll see it hit home even harder in the months and years ahead. General Motors, I predict, will either go bankrupt or be bailed out, perhaps in a protection manner, by the federal government. Which means, of course, that taxpayers will be indirectly subsidizing the financial insolvencies caused by our system of monopoly medicine.

These acts are just “band-aids” on a system that is hemorrhaging at its core. Our highly corrupt system of organized medicine is bleeding this nation dry. Families, cities, states, corporations and entire governments are squarely positioned to be financially obliterated by organized medicine. And, believe me, there are plenty of other nations ready to take our place as the dominant economic force in the world. China comes immediately to mind…

Real Wealth Is Great Health

I say we cannot experience economic growth by paying each other higher and higher fees for the symptomatic treatment of ubiquitous diseases. The fact that well over half our population is chronically diseased, and 40 percent or more are taking daily prescription drugs, and billions of dollars are flowing into drug company coffers does not make us a wealthy nation.

We are fooling ourselves if we think that economic “prosperity” means owning stocks in a Big Pharma company that’s making a windfall because half the nation is chronically diseased, with another wave of disease on the way (diabetes and Alzheimer’s, take your pick). True prosperity simply cannot be achieved without health. A nation without healthy people is ultimately a nation without a healthy economy. Ultimately, if we continue on this path, our entire nation will only end up bankrupt, diseased and jobless.

The solution to all of this, of course, is to immediately redirect every available resource into preventing disease and promoting health. It’s a reallocation of energy that will probably never occur, however, for one simple reason: there’s no money in prevention. Our current system of for-profit medicine only rewards the treatment of sickness. And thus, by its very nature, it precludes any incentive for the promotion of health.

The U.S. system of medicine is the most expensive system in the world, both in terms of what it costs up front, and what it costs society in the long run.

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Dr. Mercola’s Comment:

Mike Adams is the Health Ranger. Mike and I share the same philosophy and are on very aligned life missions. He has no formal medical training but is a CEO of a software company that has committed the bulk of his free time to the same life mission I have–changing the fatally flawed conventional medical system. Mike is deadly serious about his health and I encourage you to review his mission statement. I think you will also be impressed with his physical appearance. An amazing testimony to the power of natural medicine.

Mike has a terrific Web site and has produced such great content that it is now the fifth most visited natural health site in the world and will likely climb to number four next month. The amazing thing about Mike is that he has been successful enough as the CEO of a software company he owns, that he doesn’t need to accept any advertising or commissions on any products he recommends. He is completely unbiased in his recommendations. I suspect that has been a significant factor in the success of his site.

We have formed a strong alliance and will be working closely on many projects. I strongly encourage you to visit his site and enjoy his perspective. There was a recent study that used a headline that “Spam Was Good For Your Health.” Of course, that is a bunch of nonsense. But what the study did show is that people who received multiple healthy e-mail messages wound up living healthier lifestyles.

Mike Adams is certainly one you can add to your list of good messages. Please remember, you need a healthy dose of natural health messages to help balance out the enormous amount of negative and health-damaging media exposure conventional medicine will throw at you.

Related Articles:

The FDA “Foxes” Keep Guarding the Drug Safety “Henhouse”

FDA Fights Losing Battle Over Drug Ads

Is Congress Taking Handouts From the Drug Companies?

Can You Trust the FDA?

Virgil’s salad–it’s a whopper!

The Day After

I admit, Virgil and Josiah picked up a vegetarian pizza on the way home from geting the Barley Max and the movie. We pigged out while we watched Sandlot 2. We also had watermelon, bananas and walnuts. Oh, yeah, Virgil got lots of nuts and olive oil at the store, too.

I’m hobbling around some this morning, my leg is a little stiff, and my arms a little sore, but other than that, I’m ok after the accident with the tool cabinet.

I put olive oil on the scratch on my leg, hoping to help with the scarring. It’s healing up nicely.

This morning we all got up about 6am. Virgil has his first day on the substitute school bus driving job this morning. I helped him juice carrots while Josi watched Sandlot 2 again, with headphones to cut down in the noise department. Virgil just took some bananas, an orange, and an apple to snack on, since he plans to be home by noon. He has to be at the doctor by 10am for some blood work. He thinks his thyroid medicine needs cut again because he’s been having headaches. I think it might be the salt. He eats a lot of chips and dip. However, the last time he was having headaches, he did need his medication cut in half.

Virgil was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 12 years ago when he gained 20 lbs within a month. He initially refused to be medicated because of his adversion to going back to his old drug-addicted lifestyle (he used to be an alchoholic and pot-head–that’s another story). He tried to manage his illness by nutrition. We went on the Hallelujah Diet (hacres.com) 6 years ago, and he used lots of exercise, running 3 miles a day, 300 situps a day. However, 3 years ago he was forced to go on sick leave because his blood pressure was so low. His heart rate was consistently 40 bpm, and he had lost most of his hair all over his body, along with slurred speech, and falling spells. When he went on medication, his TSH levels stabilized. Now, however, they are rising again, indicating that the thyroid is beginning to function again. He has already had to cut his medication. He is very encouraged and gives God the glory.

Anyway, after the movie, Josiah went to sleep in the recliner, I worked on Virgil’s outline, and had a breakfast of watermelon, bananas, and walnuts. After checking my mail and the news, I started on this blog. I’m having a snack of cantelope.

The Accident

I will post a journal of our day today, May 19, 2005.

I got up about 6 am, when my husband was just getting out of the tub. I had to make him a salad for him to take to school for lunch. It consisted of one head of red leaf lettuce from our favorite farm market person, Ed (his lettuce is the best because he has a donkey and horse to help fertilize his garden–it’s so sweet), mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and boiled eggs. I packed some red wine dressing with it. He also took some apples and oranges to snack on.
(Can you tell we’re into raw vegetables and fruit?) Actually, eggs are not on our diet, but everyone cheats once in a while, right?

Virgil had a couple of tests today, so while I packed, we discussed some of his test questions, and planned the day. Josiah got up around 7am, right before Virgil left, and they sat on the stairs together awhile to “connect.”

When Virgil left, I fixed me some watermelon while Josiah put in a Scooby Doo movie. I checked my email while I ate, then fixed Josiah some fried eggs with toast and an orange. He usually eats raw fruit and french toast for breakfast, but we were out of bananas and pumpkin (I use pumpkin to make the frensh toast, because he has a dairy allergy and I have to replace the milk with something).

Josi wanted to check on his stocks, so he logged onto Sharebuilder.com and saw that it had gone up about 43 cents. You should really check into sharebuilder. It’s a great learning tool. Larry Burkett recommended it (Moneymatters radio program, Christian Financial Concepts, cfc.org). It only costs $4 per month, you can have the money withdrawn automatically each month, they send you regular statements by email, and you can buy or sell online. Josiah decided to double his investment amount, so he changed that, and agreed to pay me the amount which is automatically withdrawn from my checking each month. His grandma gives him money each week as sort of an allowance, so he uses that.

The neighbor stopped by to ask if he could borrow the dump truck, and Josiah helped him unhook the trailer from it so he could pick it up when he came back. He asked if Josi wanted to go with him to pick up a load of dirt. While he was waiting on Larry to come back to get the dump truck, Josiah worked on his CB radio. He installed it in his car yesterday, and wanted to see if it would transmit out the driveway. He put one by my desk so I could talk to him while he drove out the driveway. (Josi’s been driving on the farm since he was 7. His first vehicle was a Toyota truck–now he drives an antique Crown Victoria).

I was busy typing an outline for Virgil (he can’t type), but I tried to communicate on the CB. It wouldn’t work, so Josi set it up on the porch and begged me to come out there to use it. I abandoned the outline for time outside with my youngster. It was beautiful. I set to weeding my flower bed. I’m a multitasker. I can’t stand to only do one thing at a time if I can do more.

The CB worked fair, but not to Josi’s satisfaction. He tried various things like adjusting the antenna, changing the mic, and driving closer to the house. We went in for a snack (Josi had grilled cheese, and I had cantelope.)

When the neighbor came back, they left to go get the load of dirt. I took advantage of the time alone to straighten and sweep my bedroom. I had to rearrange the furniture a little–what little there is of it. When Josiah was born, I was 36 and too “mature” to go up and down the stairs to nurse him at all hours of the night, so I put a mattress on the floor next to my bed for Virgil, and let Josiah sleep with me. Since then, we’ve all gravitated (no pun intended) to mattresses on the floor. Now that I’m used to it, it’s much more comfortable. We have three mattresses in my bedroom, and Josi likes to sleep with us, even though he has his own bedroom for daytime activities such as playstation. I painted a little dresser green for my room yesterday, and there is a cedar chest for blankets, a shelf for linens, and a shelf for books. While I cleaned, I munched on cucumber sticks (no seeds or peelings for me).

When Larry brought Josiah back, I was ready to paint a table for the kitchen. Josiah wanted to paint a rusty place on the back of his car, so he found some silver spray paint. I was looking for a paint brush after I sanded the table, when “it” happened.

I pulled all the drawers out on a big tool cabinet in the garage looking for a brush, and the cabinet fell on me (slow motion as the drawers all fell out more.) I screamed, and Josiah ran for the neighbor, since he didn’t know his number (actually, he drove the car to the neighbor’s, about 1/4 mile down the road.) I figured the car would be safer than the four-wheeler. We don’t usually let him drive on the road. Anyway, they finally got the cabinet off of me (about 1000 lbs. worth of metal counting the tools) . I have a big scratch on my leg and lots of bruises.

Virgil came home shortly with groceries (lots of bananas, watermelon, cantelope, oranges, onions, potatoes, canned pumpkin, and fresh pineapple). Yummy! He snacked on some crackers and cheese dip. He did alright on his tests, he thinks. He worked on Josi’s CB a little–crimping some wires and fittings together for him. Then they went to town to get a jar of Barley Green from a distributor. I ordered some, but it hasn’t come yet. I know the fresh veggies and fruit will help my bruises and cuts heal faster.

I felt much better after a warm bath. I did take a Tylenol right after the accident to ease the pain, even though I know it’s not really good for me. It makes my insides bleed. (no kidding)

While some dishes soak in the sink, and the dryer turns, I am typing this post for my blog. Virgil and Josi will bring home a movie to watch so we can relax a little before bed. I will fix them some snacks, probably watermelon and oranges, and will read Josi a Bible story before lights out.

Food Pyramid contradictions

The USDA Contradicts its Food Pyramid Advice

A troubling disparity highlighted the awkward truth about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): What it advises people to eat to stay healthy does not exactly match what it pays farmers to grow … to say the least.
For starters, the only reference to corn on the USDA’s new food pyramid is a graphic of a bright-yellow ear of corn amid a sea of other vegetables; soybeans are not mentioned at all. Yet U.S. farmers receive $15 billion in subsidies to grow corn and soybeans that are largely used to feed livestock (with harmful chemicals and antibiotics often added).
What’s worse, corn and soybeans are used to make artificial sweeteners and partially hydrogenated oils — the very ingredients the food pyramid urges Americans to avoid. Comparatively so, fruit and vegetable farmers receive no subsidies whatsoever, though whole foods are supposed to make up the largest part of Americans’ diets, per the pyramid’s recommendations.
Discrepancies Noted
According to a former U.S. Congressman, farm policy has clearly been developed with little regard for the diets and health of Americans and instead is the result of a Depression-era program that was supposed to give temporary relief for low commodity prices. He further explained that those who attend hearings on domestic farm policies are largely lobbyists who protect the interests of a handful of crops, including:
Corn
Soybeans
Cotton
Rice
Wheat
Sugar
A nutrition professor at New York University said the USDA has fought with conflict of interest since its mission was expanded beyond farming to dietary advice and food assistance to the poor.
The result?
Lobbying from the food industry has historically influenced the agency’s nutrition advice — the composition of the new pyramid included.
Moreover, the alleged conflict between the agency’s role in promoting both nutrition and agriculture even prompted former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald to compare the USDA, when it comes to farm subsidies, to a fox guarding the henhouse. He introduced legislation to move the nutrition program to the Department of Health and Human Services, but his legislation fizzled.
Farm subsidies are not the only USDA program that seems to contradict the advice of the food pyramid: The department also sponsors a variety of marketing initiatives that encourage consumers to eat more of everything.
Chicago Tribune May 2, 2005
Dr. Mercola’s Comment:
You may be wondering why there is such a gigantic discrepancy between what corn and soybean farmers are being paid, compared to fruit and vegetable farmers. The reason, as usual, is money.
The USDA doesn’t give $15 billion to just anyone. In this case, they are guaranteeing themselves continued support from the mega food corporations, who make billions themselves from the sale of numerous products made with the ingredients supplied by corn and soy.
By itself, corn is used in an untold amount of products. Everything from conventional cattle feed to high-fructose corn syrup to even some forms of vitamin C are made from corn.
Of course, products made with soy constituents are equally plentiful. Many experts tout soy as a health food, despite the evidence that it is not. Most soy is grown for its uses in livestock feed and in the hydrogenated fats used in making processed foods.
It’s unfortunate that the government doesn’t place the same emphasis on your health as it does on capitulating to corporate conflict of interest. The above study only serves as more confirmation that there is still a long battle ahead to turn the health of America’s citizens into one of its highest priorities.