-->| In India, the entry point is the seed, as farmers reclaim indigenous knowledge, and from there they begin to question government and corporate-promoted farming practices.
But the lesson of these stories isn't to wait for moments of dissonance to strike. As has been true for so many we met, by simply taking action we create dissonance; we put ourselves in a new place.
Kenyan village women began planting trees with Green Belt; only then did they start to see with new eyes. |  That means, essentially, that the soil quality is preserved and enhanced, which is in sharp contrast to conventional farming practices. Organic foods are generally a little more expensive than conventional foods. Consider organics as a desirable option when you can afford them.
There are two justifications for considering organics. One is that they are free of pesticides and genetically engineered material. Many pesticides are estrogen mimics, meaning that they simulate the effect of estrogen and may disrupt the actions of our own hormones. |  Good food goes off
Food manufacturing, even more than farming practices, is the greatest cause of vitamin loss. Foods are refined so they last longer. Flour, rice, and sugar lose more than 77 percent of their zinc, chromium, and manganese in the refining process. Other essential nutrients, such as essential fats, will not be present in processed foods because these and other nutrients (except antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, which preserve foods) can decrease shelf life. There is an old saying among nutritionists that "good food goes off—the trick is to eat it first.
What about cooking? |  This is due in part to changed farming practices and lack of organic matter in the soil (the source of many minerals and vitamins). Furthermore, many modern foods have been genetically altered for the worse (Indian corn has omega-3 fats, while modern, genetically modified corn does not). They've also been stored for prolonged periods before and during transportation (which depletes nutrients), then overprocessed and over-prepared (which seriously depletes nutrients). | | While milk naturally contains small amounts of estrogen, changes in farming practices now make it possible to milk cows continuously, even while they are pregnant. These pregnant cows produce milk with much higher levels of estrogen. If you drink milk, my advice is to stick to organic milk, which disallows this practice and the use of BGH. On top of that, cows eating pesticide- or herbicide-sprayed feed tend to accumulate residues in their meat and fat. | | Such an agricultural system, the report concluded, may offer effective solutions to the environmental damage and nonsustainable aspects of conventional farming practices.
Box 17.10 MORE PRUDENT FOOD SAFETY SUGGESTIONS
To minimize your risk of illness, consider the following suggestions.
• Check and adhere to "sell by" dates on milk, eggs, and other perishables.
• If hamburger or chicken has an odd or noticeable odor, return it to the store.
• Buy perishables last, including meat, chicken, and eggs, so they don't warm up in your shopping cart, the parking lot, and your car. |  But all this has changed as traditional farming practices have increasingly given way to factor}" farms that process huge numbers of animals in gigantic industrial assembly lines. With the expansion and mechanization of animal farming, world meat production has quadrupled in the last 50 years. There are now 20 billion livestock on Earth —more than triple the number of human beings.
Such a massive change could not have occurred without enormous implications for the environment. |  Dangers to humans from feeding and processing practices were brought under great scrutiny with the 1996 outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) in cattle in British beef herds. The popular press quickly labeled these disorders "mad cow disease." The disease causes the structure of brain tissue to change to a spongelike form and the condition is ultimately fatal. A similar disease, known as scrapie, is found in sheep, and variations have also been found in elk, mink, deer, and goats in both the United States and Canada. | | It must also include other sustainable raw materials, sound farming practices, clean technology and responsible industrial investment, production and marketing practices.
SECTION
Introduction by Ed Rosenthal
Hemp and marijuana are products of different varieties of the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa. In other countries, hemp is a crop considered separate from psychoactive marijuana. For instance, in France, where there is strict enforcement of marijuana laws, hemp has been grown in two areas of the country, Le Mans and Troyes in Brittany. |  Modern farming practices over the last thirty years have greatly depleted our soils of vital nutrients. Today, artificial fertilizers containing nitrogen phosphorus and potassium (NPK) have largely replaced organic plants and animal parts in our soils. This disrupts the natural balance and cycle of plant—and ultimately animal and human—life on the planet.
There is a complex interaction between nutrients and soil organisms. The deficiency of a few nutrients (for example, sulfur and iron) will cause discoloration of plants, affecting their marketability. | | But Justice Bell concluded that many cruel farming practices could be easily altered at minimal cost. "There was no evidence," he said, "that the cost would be increased significantly."
Today, the very practices that Chief Justice Bell found to be demonstrably cruel —and some that are far more severe —continue unabated in the United States. The reason? For one thing, the Federal Humane Slaughter Act requires that all animals (excluding birds) be stunned properlv prior to slaughter, but the law carries no penalties and is rarely enforced. For another, 30 U.S. |  He was a pioneer of organic farming (Biodynamic Agriculture), at a time when most of the world was yielding to artificial farming practices. He was also a sculptor and architect, who designed the astonishing cathedral of Anthroposophy, the Goetheanum in Dornach.
The Wegman Clinic still exists as a general hospital run along Anthroposophical lines. However, in 1963, Leroi established another small hospital across the street. This they called the Lukas Klinik, after the gospel writer who was also the first Christian physician. Administration of this clinic was in the hands of Dr. |  Even though I try to eat fresh, organic produce, I am aware that modern farming practices have depleted the soil of nutrients, which in turn, can strip fruits and vegetables of their valuable vitamins and minerals. The storage and shipping of food can also sap it of its nutrients. I take supplements to ensure that I am getting all of the micronutrients I need to maintain optimal health, and I advise others to do the same. |  In our choice of farming practices, it is important to remember that soil is a living environment that is much more sensitive and fragile than is generally believed. It is necessary, for instance, to avoid at all costs overwhelming or disturbing its biological activity by working the soil in a way that is counterproductive or that overwhelms its structure.
The fact is that microorganisms and all the tiny life forms inhabiting soil play a predominant role in the nutrition and growth of plants. |  Intensive farming practices have depleted the soil of the mineral, while food processing removes even more. And if you try to get your missing selenium from a supplement, you may be out of luck. Many supplements contain a form of the mineral that is poorly absorbed and therefore poorly utilized, Dr. Rubman says. |  Studies indicate that modern farming practices deplete the soil of essential minerals, resulting in lower levels of these minerals in our foods," says Dr. Gaby. Added to this, overconsumption of nutrient-empty foods, such as sugar and white flour, further deprives us of vitamins and minerals.17
Hormonal Factors
Conventional medicine views osteoporosis primarily as an estrogen deficiency occurring at menopause. If this were so, then all women around the world would get osteoporosis at menopause, but this is not the case. | | We must stop pollution at all levels and preserve our oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, and deserts; we must find biological control of pests while enforcing more humane farming practices. The dairy industry must be allowed to bring back certified raw milk. At present, only California and Georgia are legally allowed to produce certified raw milk. I drink nourishing and wholesome raw milk daily and have not gotten ill; on the contrary, raw certified milk is practically a perfect food. |  Modern farming practices may make agribusiness more efficient, but they have depleted essential trace elements from our soils. A lack of selenium, zinc, chromium, and magnesium in foods grown today has been implicated in increased incidences of cancer. Without these protective nutrients, free radical damage goes unchecked in our systems, and abnormal cell reproduction can lead to cancer.
Genetic Predisposition
Heredity plays a role, albeit a limited one, in determining who gets cancer. | | In response, it has increased its advertising budgets and its propaganda campaigns. And in an act that gives new meaning to the word sickening, it has also sought to strip legal protection from farm animals.
Prior to 1990, twelve states had laws that exempted farm animals from legislation protecting animals from cruelty. In these states, sadly, farm animals could legally be subjected to any manner of cruelty, as long as the practices were considered "normal," "accepted," "common," or "customary" farming practices. |  Sources: Chemical farming practices, drinking and bathing in chlorinated water, bleached paper, water pollution.
• Reduced by: Eating organically grown food, filtering drinking water, filtering bathing water, using unbleached paper, using less plastic, buying fresh (not canned) food.
Radiation, especially when young.
• Sources: Mammograms, fallout, x-rays.
• Reduced by: Avoidance. Doses are cumulative.
EMFs (Electromagnetic Fields)
• Sources: TVs, hair dryers, microwave towers and ovens, computer monitors, all electrical appliances and lines.
• Reduced by: Distance rather than shielding. | | In these states, sadly, farm animals could legally be subjected to any manner of cruelty, as long as the practices were considered "normal," "accepted," "common," or "customary" farming practices. During the 1990s, bowing to pressure from the animal industries, 18 more states enacted such laws.40 As a result of these statutes, farm animals in more than half the states now have no legal protection from institutionalized cruelty. | | JJope in Europe
As 18 states in the United States were passing laws during the 1990s exempting farm animals from the statutes that prevent cruelty to animals, many European nations were doing just the opposite —passing legislation banning inhumane farming practices.4'
It began in 1987, when Sweden passed an animal protection law granting all farm animals the right to a favorable environment where their natural behavior is safeguarded, virtually banning all factory farming. |  Even where poor farming practices such as the use of chemical fertilizers have leached most minerals out of the soil, there is one that remains abundant. Potassium is present in chemical fertilizer;1 it is present in the soil; and it is available in most growing plants. Its prevalence in our food sources should make it an easy mineral to get enough of.
Yet many people don't consume as much potassium as their bodies require.
Why should a mineral so abundant in nature—even where the soil has been tampered with—be in short supply in our bodies?
First of all, because we use quite a bit of it. |  Liver juice was added to the therapy by Gerson in 1950 in the belief that the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables was declining due to modern farming practices. According to the Gerson Institute, the rise of modern organic farming holds out the promise of higher-quality fruits and vegetables than were available during Gerson's lifetime.
2 Patricia Spain Ward, "History of Gerson Therapy," contract report for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), revised June 1988. |  The intake of selenium and other nutrients from plant foods may be influenced by the type of farming practices used. In a preliminary investigation, organically grown foods were, in some cases, nutritionally superior to conventionally grown foods (Smith, 1993). This comparison was conducted on foods purchased in the Chicago area, and the results are illustrated in Figure 13.1. Other preliminary studies have reported similar results. Sharon Hornick, a soil scientist with the U.S. |  However, with changing farming practices and increasing industrialization, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products now account for between 60 and 80 percent of the pesticide and organo-chlorine chemical residues in the American diet. Organo-chlorine chemicals are a family of industrial chemicals that have become widespread in our environment. A number of these chemicals like PCB and dioxin have been shown to be potent immune system poisons. Of the pesticide residues, only about 10 percent come from vegetables, fruits, and grains. |  This mold can proliferate on any kind of dead plant material, even if dry. New farming practices and chemical spraying tend to leave crop residues in fields that used to be either burned or plowed. Modern harvesters blow dust and the Alternaria spores sky-high, sending them over large distances. When Altemaria levels soar in the fall, we often hear of sudden deaths caused by asthma.4
Intelligent Medicine Tip: _
Keep windows and doors closed during pollen (or Alternaria) season, and use a room air purifier to provide maximum protection from airborne allergens and pollutants. | | Agriculture was a way of life, and farming practices were based on centuties-
76 old methods that emphasized maintaining the fertility of the soil and being in harmony with nature's ways.
Today only about 2 percent of our citizens are farmers, and our food is grown by "agribusiness" corporations dependent on large inputs of petrochemicals, drugs, artificial fertilizers, toxic pesticides, and water. Our food is overprocessed, artificially colored, fumigated, and shipped long distances; now it is starting to be irradiated. | | In other words, if the industry as a whole is doing it, then by definition it can't be outlawed. According to attorney David Wolfson, "In effect, state legislatures have granted agribusiness a legal license to treat farm animals as they wish."1''
PETA Enters the Fray
After the McLibel trial, in 1997 the U.S. | |
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