Have you ever wondered if organic foods are really worth the cost? Garrett, a homeschooled boy in Alaska, set out to determine if there is indeed a food-based cure for cancer. What he discovered on his journey will surprise, horrify, anger, enlighten and inspire you.

For instance, do you know which food additives cause cancer cells to grow faster and what processed foods contain them? Do you know just how toxic amalgam (”silver”) fillings are, or that the life expectancy of a dentist is 52 years (unless your an orthodontist or dental surgeon – neither of which use amalgam on a daily basis)? What about fluoride. Where does it come from and has it really been proven to be a good preventive for tooth decay when taken internally? Are vaccines really toxic? What happens to humans when they consume genetically modified foods? What does irradiation do to the nutritional content of our foods?

Garrett travels the country and speaks with many people, some who even have documented proof that cancer is curable and how. Others discuss why so many people in America and other Westernized countries are sick in one way or another, and why the medical community can do little or nothing to help cure them.

One thing that struck me, because I had never really thought about it before, was what a challenge it is for funeral directors to handle the bodies of deceased obese people. They are having to design larger caskets, and often cannot honor requests for cremation of obese people because they won’t fit through the crematorium doors! And if they do fit there is serious danger of excessive fire from the fat (compassionately described as “excess bodily fluids” in the film) of the obese.

There are detractors of this film online who say it’s all nonsense. I have a hard time believing that they actually watched the entire film and came to that conclusion. Especially since their comments are mostly regarding the trailers you can watch on YouTube. But that is to be expected. They claim that in this film, the makers are saying that all doctors are in collusion and don’t really want to help people. That is of course ridiculous and I didn’t get that message from it myself. I personally think that the majority of doctors and other mainstream health professionals care deeply about people, but they also want to keep their licenses and jobs so they can’t afford to look outside of what they are taught in medical school and from Big Pharma.

The trouble I see is that there are documented natural treatments and cures that work wonders in the human body, but since they can’t be patented, no one in the pharmaceutical industry wants anything to do with them. Therefore they are not taught in medical schools. This simple fact tells me that the basis if western medicine is profit, not truly helping people live longer, healthier lives. So if you’re reading this and thinking you want to be a doctor or nurse to help others, keep that in mind.

The detractors also say the film is not scientific enough. I don’t have to be a scientist to know that I feel better after I eat a breakfast I’ve prepared myself with fresh ingredients than I do after I eat an Egg McMuffin® (which I ate last week when I was on the road at breakfast time, and regretted later). And even better after a salad, even though when I’m eating one I sometimes think it isn’t going to be filling enough, I find I’m satisfied longer, and experience other benefits from the added fiber:-)

Detractors aside, this film is a powerful presentation because it’s the story from the perspective of a 15 year-old boy who had no preconceptions at the outset, other than he knew that raw milk and unprocessed foods helped the orphaned animals he nursed back to health at his home in Alaska, thrive. He didn’t already believe corporations were uncaring entities with nothing but profit and secrecy in mind. He found that out later as he attempted to contact Monsanto and others to get their sides of the story. None would speak with him.

As for the discussion on not eating meat, I think that some people can do that and be healthy, while others cannot. For some it is just habit that they don’t want to change because they like it. We do serve meat in our household, but my daughter who is 7 chooses a mostly vegetarian diet with eggs and cheese, while my son who is four chooses mostly meat and carbs. Not implying anything about gender here, that’s just how it is with my kids.

There is so much more to this film than the controversy though. It is showing us that we are not at the mercy of mysterious happenings within our bodies that we have no control over. Quite the opposite. If we muster up the courage to go looking outside of orthodox medicine if we have a cancer diagnosis, what we might uncover is true health instead of mere symptom management and death sentences. Because the truth is that it’s not doctors, but the body that heals itself. Symptoms are clues as to what is wrong and to suppress them is counter to healing.

“The Beautiful Truth” is a wonderful documentary. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing. (You’ll have to watch a brief advertisement before the film starts).

Eat well, be well,

OFM

I’ve been taking organic coconut oil with my morning decaf for awhile now. I just came across this article on how to do a full detox with raw, organic coconut oil, which sounds really great. Check it out below.

OFM

(NaturalNews) With fad detox methods around every corner, it’s hard to know which one can provide a healthy cleanse without unpleasant side effects. A coconut oil detox is an excellent way to cleanse without using complicated formulas or living off nothing but water for days on end. Coconut oil is a powerful cleansing food that also provides plenty of natural energy during a detox.

Coconut oil is largely comprised of medium-chain fatty acids, which are sent directly to the liver for energy rather than storage. This type of fat is ideal for a cleanse, since it can provide the energy needed at a time when less food is being consumed.

These same medium-chain fatty acids play a crucial role in cleansing the body from toxins. Coconut oil is heralded as a natural health food, and a coconut oil detox simply speeds up healing results by thoroughly flushing the entire body of toxins in a short time. Here are just four types of conditions coconut oil can combat during a detox:

- Candida. In modern society, candida overgrowth is almost an epidemic. More people are experiencing systemic candida, when the problem spreads throughout the body and causes a myriad of unpleasant side effects. A coconut oil detox is completely void of sugar and other carbohydrates, which effectively starves off all candida in the system. People who suffer from candida will notice many conditions improve or disappear after a coconut oil detox, including sugar cravings, fatigue, eczema, acne, repeat sinus infections and poor concentration.

- Fungal infections. Often connected with candida, repeat fungal infections like ringworm and jock itch are linked to an imbalance of bacteria and fungal organisms in the body. The lauric acid and caprylic acid in coconut oil are antifungal, so a coconut oil detox is an effective way to cleanse the entire system of fungal growth. Many people with fungal conditions report a complete recovery within the cleansing period.

- Digestive conditions. A coconut oil detox can help banish digestive conditions like irritable bowl syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut syndrome by restoring health and balance to the digestive system.

- Viruses. Lauric acid, which is found in abundance in coconut oil, is converted into monolaurin in the body, which has strong antiviral properties that can protect against and even destroy lipid-coated viruses like herpes and influenza.

How to Detox with Coconut Oil

A coconut oil cleanse is a very simple detoxification method that replaces regular food with coconut oil, usually for about 3-7 days. Start your day with two tablespoons of coconut oil and take 1-2 tablespoons throughout the day as necessary for up to 14 tablespoons total each day.

Take the coconut oil plain if you enjoy it that way, but those who can’t tolerate swallowing the oil straight can mix it with warm lemon water or plain organic yogurt if necessary. You can use stevia if you’d like to sweeten the lemon water or yogurt, but no sugar should be consumed during the cleanse. In his book Coconut Cures, Dr. Bruce Fife adds that you can eat up to four ounces of fresh coconut meat daily while on the detox if needed.

The best kind of coconut oil to use to detoxify is organic, raw extra virgin coconut oil. This type of oil should be completely unrefined, expeller- or cold-pressed, unbleached and not deodorized. This ensures you are getting the maximum natural benefits from your coconut oil.

If you have never taken coconut oil before, then you’ll want to let your body adjust by slowly incorporating it into your diet before trying a coconut oil detox. Start with 1/2-1 teaspoon three times per day. Gradually work your way up to 1-2 tablespoons three times daily. It may take two weeks to work up to the full amount. When you feel comfortable taking this much coconut oil, then you should be ready to start a coconut oil detox.

Some people will experience “die-off” symptoms when they begin a coconut oil detox. These symptoms are often flu-like, including headaches, joint stiffness, dizziness and foggy-thinking. It may not feel so good, but it’s a sign that your body is ridding itself of harmful toxins like fungal organisms. Die-off symptoms usually only last for 3-5 days, but you can ease them by gradually introducing coconut oil to your diet before doing a detox.

During a coconut oil detox, it’s important to drink plenty of filtered water to nourish the body and facilitate cleansing benefits. Here is a recipe for a delicious drink that can replenish you during a cleanse:

1 cup pure lemon juice
6 cups filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt

The lemon juice has cleansing properties, and the sea salt replaces minerals that may be lost during a cleanse. Add stevia for a sweeter taste, but do not sweeten with any kind of sugar.

Remember, if you have medical conditions or if you are on prescription medications, it’s important to talk with your physician before trying a coconut oil cleanse.

For More Information:

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/detox.php#s3

Fife. Bruce. Coconut Cures. (2004) Piccadilly Books.

About the author
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer, specializing in articles about health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent common illnesses.

How dare we try and care for our own health? Great article from:

(NaturalNews) In an effort to censor any online text that might inform consumers of the ability of natural products to protect consumers from H1N1 influenza A, the FDA is now sending out a round of warning letters, threatening to “take enforcement action… such as seizure or injunction for violations of the FFDC Act without further notice.”

“Firms that fail to take correction action,” the FDA warns, “may also be referred to the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations for possible criminal prosecution for violations of the FFDC Act and other federal laws.”

The message is crystal clear: No product may be described as protecting against or preventing H1N1 infections unless it is approved by the FDA. And which products has the FDA approved? Tamiflu (the anti-viral drug that most people will never have access to), and soon the new H1N1 vaccine that’s being manufactured at a cost of one billion dollars (paid to Big Pharma by the taxpayers). This vaccine, of course, will be utterly useless because H1N1 will undoubtedly mutate between now and the time the vaccine is ready, rendering the vaccine useless.

In other words, according to the tyrants at the FDA, the only products that may be marketed alongside the term “H1N1″ are those products that either don’t work or aren’t available to most people. Anything that really works to prevent influenza infections — such as natural anti-virals, medicinal herbs, etc. — is banned from even mentioning H1N1 without the threat of being criminally prosecuted.

Note: I reveal the five most powerful natural anti-viral remedies in a free report you can read here: http://www.naturalnews.com/RR-FiveBestAnti-ViralProducts.html

Such are the operations of our U.S. Food and Drug Administration — a criminal organization that’s working hard to do what every criminal organization does: Eliminate the competition! As the defender of Big Pharma, the FDA is also the destroyer of knowledge that seeks to remove educational statements from the internet. Truth has nothing to do with it — it is verifiably true that anti-viral herbs, probiotics and other natural products help protect consumers from influenza — but the FDA cannot allow such statements to remain online for the simple fact that people might become informed. And that, it seems, would be a dangerous precedent.

If people were informed about the healing and protective powers of herbs, they would no longer remain enslaved by the medical establishment. Profits would be lost. Power would evaporate. This is why people can never be allowed to attain any real knowledge about herbs, superfoods or nutritional supplements. And the FDA will threaten people with imprisonment just to make sure they don’t dare publish knowledge that the FDA does not want the people to see.

Targeted by the FDA
Who is being attacked and threatened by the FDA? Lots of companies offering highly-effective natural remedies. You can see a list of some of the companies being targeted right here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/h1n1flu/

Byron Richards’ company Wellness Resources, a favorite target of the FDA (no doubt because Richards wrote a book attacking the FDA), is also targeted in this censorship campaign. You can see the FDA’s ridiculous complaint against his company here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/h1n1flu/brand_list.cfm?brand=Wellness%20Resources&cat=Supplement

The FDA sends similar letters to other companies, invoking terrorizing language designed to scare companies into self-censorship. This is the FDA’s key strategy, and it largely works: Most companies are scared to death to take a stand against the FDA because the ones that do end up being shut down, with their owners arrested at gunpoint and thrown in prison.

This is how natural medicine advocates are treated in the United States of America, the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” (It is really the land of the enslaved and the home of the cowards who don’t even have the courage to protest in the streets anymore…)

This is how the FDA secretly intimidates the natural products industry: It sends threatening letters to anyone who dares tell the truth about a natural product they sell. While pharmaceuticals can openly and brazenly lie about their supposed benefits, natural product companies aren’t even allowed to state obvious truths about their products! (Like “Vitamin C helps prevent colds” or “Omega-3 oils improve moods.”)

Note, carefully, that the FDA openly brands the people promoting natural anti-viral products as “criminals.” The language from the FDA’s own website says it is listing “Web sites that are illegally marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products in relation to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus.”

In reality, this FDA list is a really good list of highly effective natural products that can protect you from Swine Flu. Many of the companies on the list, in fact, offer products that are far more effective than any vaccine or Big Pharma anti-viral drug. And that, by the way, is precisely why the FDA must accuse these companies of being criminals: Products that effectively compete with Big Pharma’s drugs simply cannot be allowed to exist in the marketplace!

This is all about destroying the competition, limiting consumer options and censoring truthful health information on the internet.

And it’s all paid for by your tax dollars, by the way. This is a government operation taking place under the Obama Administration, which apparently continues in the Bush Administration’s footsteps when it comes to destroying the natural products industry and leaving consumers helpless in the next great pandemic.

Learn what the FDA hopes you never find out: Read my free report on the five most powerful anti-viral products for beating swine flu: http://www.naturalnews.com/RR-FiveBestAnti-ViralProducts.html

Sources:
FDA Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products List:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/h1n1flu/

(NaturalNews) The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has announced the immediate need to oppose a new and integrated form of the many food safety bills that have been announced in recent months as potential candidate food safety bills. HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, is an aggregated version of bills such as HR 875 and HR 759 and it was introduced in its discussion draft form on June 8 by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI). It was immediately voted out of the Health Subcommittee on June 10 in an amended form and is headed quickly to the Energy and Commerce Committee on June 17 for mark-up. This is the first and only food safety bill that has received a hearing and made its way out of committee, indicating that this is indeed the bill that has been chosen and the one that needs to be vehemently opposed, and quickly.

Urgent opposition is necessary in order to stop this bill because not only does it fail to effectively reform the industrial food system, it will detrimentally impact small farms and food production facilities as well as local artisans who will be unfairly and disproportionally burdened with a one-size-fits-all regulatory system. Additionally, the bill will bolster the power of the already out-of-control Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while diminishing the existing judicial restraints on the agency’s actions through its amending of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

Because the bill’s provisions concerning food safety and FDA’s scope of power concerning enforcement are so vaguely worded in this bill, it creates potential for the unchecked abuse of power by FDA and the incongruous application and enforcement of regulations. While failing to clearly identify and address the primary causes of food safety failures, including industrial farming practices and food supply consolidation, HR 2749 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by unfairly targeting clean, small-scale, local farming and food operations.

Some of the disconcerting and dire provisions within the bill include:

- HR 2749 will require the mandatory imposition of annual registration fees in the amount of $500 upon any “facility” that holds, processes, or manufactures food. Even though “farms” are exempt, the bill’s definition of “farm” is so scarcely defined that folks selling cheeses, breads, and other products from their farms or at the farmers market would be required to pay this fee, potentially driving many small producers and start-ups out of business, especially during tough times.

- HR 2749 will give FDA the power to directly regulate the methods by which crops are raised and harvested, essentially handing complete and total control of every farming operation to the federal government.
- HR 2749 will give FDA the power to halt the movement of all food in a particular geographic area in the event of a food contamination scare or outbreak. The provision directly includes “prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area”, effectively shutting down any and all local food sources, farmers markets, or cooperatives within that area, even if their products have no connection to the actual contamination source.

- HR 2749 will give limitless power to FDA to conduct random searches of the business records of small farmers and local food providers without a warrant or even the slightest hint of evidence that there has been any sort of violation. It essentially allows clear passage by the federal government into the private records of its choice with no requirement of probable cause or legitimate reason for doing so.

- HR 2749 will appoint the Secretary of Health and Human Services as the taskmaster in establishing a food tracing system that will require an extensive, convoluted system of tracking each item and ingredient from origin to distribution. Because the bill fails to outline the logistical procedures for how this complex task will be accomplished and how it will be paid for, it once again hands an unprecedented amount of power over to the federal government to control and tax as it sees fit in order to accomplish whatever arbitrary requirements it wishes to inflict upon our farmers and food producers.

- HR 2749 imposes grievous criminal and civil penalties, including fines of up to $100,000 for each violation, per individual, and up to 10 years in prison.

It is obvious from investigation that this bill presents incredibly ominous ramifications for small, local farmers, local food producers, and anyone else who grows or sells food. It favors industrial, factory food operators, who are the perpetrators of food contamination, at the expense of small providers who many have come to rely upon for safe and nutritious fare. The bill also shifts a monumental and unprecedented amount of power and control to the federal government to dominate everything from the produce in the grocery store to the peppers a backyard farmer sells to his neighbor.

The impetus with which this bill is making its way through the legislative gauntlet is alarming and calls for immediate action in stopping it dead in its tracks. FTCLDF is urging everyone to contact their representatives and ask to speak with the staffers who handle food issues. Each person should explain that he or she is aware of the bill and its implications and opposes it. Some FTCLDF talking points include, summarily:

- The bill fails to target the true culprits of food contamination, primarily the industrial food system and food imports while unfairly burdening small and local food producers and providers.
- Food safety would improve if the regulatory burdens on small farms and local food processors were decreased, not increased as this bill does.
- The bill immensely increases FDA power while simultaneously decreasing the agency’s accountability for its actions.

The most significant effects are the drastic increases in federal government control over food in general. It is important to emphasize this fact and definitively oppose it.

Congressional representatives can be contacted by utilizing the finder tool at www.congress.com or by sending a message through the FTCLDF petition system at www.ftcldf.org/petitions_new.htm. One can also call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

The status of HR 2749 can be found at www.govtrack.us by searching for “HR 2749″.

Now is the time to vehemently oppose this heinous bill. Warn friends and family about this bill and pass on this information immediately. As citizens of this American Republic, it is essential that every citizen practice his or her civic duty in protecting our food freedom by opposing HR 2749.

Sources:

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund – HR 2749

govtrack.us – HR 2749

Congress.org

About the author
Ethan Huff is a freelance writer and health enthusiast who loves exploring the vast world of natural foods and health, digging deep to get to the truth. He runs an online health publication of his own at http://wholesomeherald.blogspot.com.

(NaturalNews) The FDA has approved Forest Laboratories’ antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) for use in children and adolescents, even as the federal government and 11 states have filed a lawsuit against the company for illegally pushing the drug on kids.

The federal government has accused Forest of bribing pediatricians to prescribe Lexapro and a related drug, Celexa (citalopram), to treat depression in children, even though such use had not been approved by the FDA at the time. The government also claims that Forest concealed the results of studies showing the drugs to be no more effective than a placebo.

“By knowingly and actively promoting these antidepressants for off-label pediatric use without disclosing the results of the negative pediatric study and by paying kickbacks, Forest caused false claims to be submitted to federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act,” said the federal complaint, issued on Feb. 25.

Lexapro was introduced in 2001 as a successor to Forest’s blockbuster Celexa, which lost patent protection and became available for generic replication in 2003. Both drugs are antidepressants in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class, and like other SSRIs have been shown to significantly increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, adolescents and young adults after even short-term use.

Lexapro is the 15th biggest selling drug in the United States.

On March 20, the FDA approved Lexapro for the treatment of major depressive disorder in children between the ages of 12 and 17, based on the findings of only one clinical study. Another study showed the drug to have no more effect than a placebo.

“A lot of these kinds of trials are not successful because it’s very difficult to do depression studies,” said Forest spokesman Frank Murdolo. “But we have two studies that were successful.”

The second study referenced by Murdolo was conducted on Celexa, which the FDA declined to approve for use in children. A second Celexa study found no evidence that the drug was effective.

The FDA also approved Lexapro as a way to maintain control of depression symptoms, even though Forest admits there is no clinical evidence for that benefit in children. The FDA argued that it was possible to extrapolate the effectiveness of the drug from adult studies.

Lexapro is only the second antidepressant to receive US approval for use in children.

According to a federal complaint however, Forest has been marketing Lexapro and Celexa to children illegally for at least nine years.

In 1999, the FDA asked the company to conduct two independent clinical trials into Celexa’s effectiveness in children, offering as incentive a six-month patent extension. Forest commissioned two studies — one by the Danish company Lundbeck, which initially developed the drug, and another by U.S. researcher Karen Dineen Wagner. While the Wagner study found “a statistically … significant reduction in depressive symptoms in children and adolescents” and “no serious adverse events” from the drug’s use, the Lundbeck study found that Celexa provided no benefits over the placebo. In addition, out of a total participant population of 244 in the Lundbeck study, nine more Celexa patients attempted or considered suicide compared with those taking a placebo.

For the next three years, however, Forest widely publicized the Wagner study but did not disclose the results of the Lundbeck study.

The complaint also accuses Forest of carrying out a “widespread campaign to promote the drugs for pediatric use by paying pediatric specialists to give promotional speeches to other physicians … and by selectively distributing publications on pediatric uses, among other strategies.”

Between 2000 and 2005, Forest hosted more than 900 “advisory boards” across the country about the use of the two antidepressants, paying more than 19,000 attendees $500 each. Other payments made to pediatricians included fishing trips, spa visits and tickets to sports games or Broadway shows.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; www.psychiatrictimes.com.