Published on Friday, January 29, 2010 by Inter Press Service
EU Farmers Face Genetic Contamination of Seeds
by Julio Godoy
BERLIN – Biodiversity, already decaying fast as a result of climate change and intensive farming, is under further threat by genetic modification (GM) of seeds, says a leading German ecological activist.
Our rights to access supplements, herbs, and natural health products are being slowly eroded. This is already happening. Over the years I have seen more and more supplements eliminated from store shelves and banned for import. Most of these banned products have traditional uses and have never been demonstrated to be harmful when used with any common sense. Each year there are thousands of deaths and injuries from over the counter pharmaceuticals, not to mention alcohol and tobacco; while there are few or none from suppIements or herbs.
I strongly encourage you to go to the CHFA website(s) and lend your support. See links below.
PRESS RELEASE
CHFA Launches New Campaign to Save Natural Health and Organic Products Industry
(TORONTO, ON) October 3rd, 2009 -Today, the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) announced its new lobby campaign to save the Natural Health and Organic Products industry, with the launch of its new website SaveOurNaturalHealthProducts.ca The overall objective of this campaign is to ensure that Canadians seeking optimal health and well-being will continue to have access and choice to innovative high quality natural and organic products.
Since the Natural Health Products (NHP) Regulations were implemented six years ago, the Natural Health and Organic products industry has worked hard to comply with over 38,000 product license applications submitted to the Natural Health Product Directorate (NHPD) of Health Canada. After five years, just over 13,000 applications have been approved for a license, almost 50% being refused or withdrawn.
With Health Canada’s deadline of April 2010 fast approaching, many of the natural health products currently being sold will not be licensed for sale, and the availability of new NHPs will be significantly reduced unless immediate improvements are made to the product licensing process. Without significant changes, the industry’s revenues, profitability, and viability in Canada will be at risk.
The CHFA has launched this new campaign, encouraging its members to participate by contacting local Members of Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, urging Health Canada to work collaboratively with CHFA and its members to implement solutions that will ensure Canadians continue to have access and choice to a wide variety of products.
“It is vital for our members to get involved and contact their local Member of Parliament,” says CHFA
President and CEO, Penelope Marrett. “Our industry is in crisis and there is an extremely urgent need to find a solution”.
The natural health products sector in Canada has been regulated since 2004; the new Organic Products Regulations came into force June 30th, 2009, giving Canadians more confidence in the industry and its products. The CHFA represents 1,100 business owners and operators and is an industry that contributes $3.5 billion to the Canadian economy.
“Safety for Canadian consumers has always been our primary concern,” continued Marrett. “Our industry is totally committed to this principle. In order for Canadians to continue to have access to safe, high quality NHPs, we are committed to continue to working with the federal government to resolve this impending disaster”.
The CHFA continues to work with Health Canada on an ongoing basis to resolve these problems on a collaborative basis.
For more information on the CHFA, visit www.CHFA.ca OR SaveOurNaturalHealthProducts.ca
I’m looking for adventurous people to do some crazy winter hikes with on Mount Royal! (2-4 hours, off trail, no snowshoes) I am not much for winter sports, but I love to just get out in the snow and get lost on the mountain. It’s amazing how far away the city can feel – without leaving town! Contact me if you are interested.
I am not a winter person by nature. It took me years to learn to deal with the intensity of Montreal winters. I now rarely get sick and generally deal well with the cold, something I could not say throughout my 20’s when we are supposedly at the height of vigor and healthy resistance.
Why do some people seem to deal so well with winter while others do not?
Understanding my innate constitution and how to deal with it has transformed my enjoyment of winter by allowing me to respond to my body’s needs with the right food, actions, and herbs including a seasonal diet.
One of the most common issues my clients raise with me is winter malaise. Feeling cold often, weakness, fatigue, lethargy, depression, frequent colds and flus, craving of alcohol, sweets, and carbohydrates, skin conditions, and other complaints can be part of this. It is disturbing to me that people often find themselves on prescribed medications as a result, anything from antidepressants to antibiotics, just to deal with seasonal issues. All traditional health systems emphasize adapting to the seasons, rather than resisting the seasons as we tend to do in modern society.
Part of this adaptation for essentially healthy people is simply feeling and experiencing the season and simultaneously putting into place the right foods, herbs, cooking techniques, and exercises so the body can deal effectively with the cold. These changes typically include more cooked foods, more spices, more meats, and herbs that boost warmth and immunity in the body. This must be done without increasing junk carbohydrates, caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol, and dairy products which tend to eventually congest and deplete organ systems, typically resulting in that ever-so-common end-of-winter crash. Avoid excessive home and workplace heating in the winter so your body’s inner thermostat can be triggered. This will also avoid excessively dry air indoors, making your skin and breathing passages less vulnerable. The right herbs and some very specific foods can have perhaps the most dramatic effect. These should be chosen with the help of a professional based on your innate constitution and specific problems or predispositions.
Whatever you do, get out there and deal with the season, rather than hiding from it! Hope to see you on the Mountain!
return to PierreBlack.com
or book an appointment at 514-564-7847.
photos by Yolaine
return to PierreBlack.com
or book an appointment at 514-564-7847.
(late post…)
I can’t believe it was my first time. A few months ago I went to the annual Mycology (“fungus-ology”) expo at the Montreal Botanical Gardens put on by the Cercle des Mycologues (mushroom geek club, no offence intended, I am an aspiring mushroom geek!). As most of my clients and friends know I am a strong proponent of medicinal mushrooms and polypores for numerous health prevention, enhancement, and clinical treatment applications. I was astounded at the number of easily identified medicinal polypores we have in and around Montreal! I have so far generally purchased my myco-medicinals in powder, pill, or imported dried whole-herb formats. I was surprised to learn that many of my most valuable friendly fungi in my herbal arsenal can actually be found growing in the woods of Mont Royal! Some of the most healing and protective examples are of the class known as polypores, or wood fungi. They grow directly from rotting wood, have a very specific shape and hrd woody texture, the entire class is non-toxic, and most have at least some medicinal value. All this makes wild harvesting of polypores much easier and safer than the identification of wild food-mushrooms. Unfortunately the catch with polypores is that most are not directly edible or delicious per se – they are usually cooked up as a tea or broth often with other herbs. The result is not usually very pleasant to drink – but the health benefits make it worth the effort. (The squeamish can of course get myco-supplements in pill format.) I have already seen the powerful Turkey Tail (Yun Zhi), and Chaga on Mount Royal as well as the only truly edible and tasty polypore I know of, the Scaled Polypore (Polyporus squamosus).
So what do these mushrooms do? Well they do a lot! Mushrooms and polypores are some of the most well researched medicinal plants in the natural materia medica with numerous confirmed effects including antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumor, properties, and amphoteric (modulating) effects on blood pressure, blood sugar, immune response, inflammation, platelet aggregation, and more. What does this mean exactly? Well it means that medicinal mushrooms may be the closest thing to a prevention silver bullet we have.
I personally take an array of these friendly fungi as often as possible for general health enhancement and prevention. Many are also useful for specific ailments.
Perhaps the best source for medicinal mushroom information backed by numerous studies, is the author and mushroom expert Paul Stamets. I plan to include many more entries on this subject in the future!
Dear “Dr.” Pierre,
When you left the herbal mixture in our house, I was a little skeptical. [Would] it really work to lower blood pressure? I drank it every day due to my respect to you plus my appreciation that you made it very early in the morning on the day you left Montreal. Now I can tell you … the herbs work.
I [also] had sciatica in my left foot and leg plus two torn ligaments (the result of a bad fall). The left foot is icy cold when I go to bed every night. Four weeks after drinking the herbal remedy, my left foot is reasonably warm. This must be due to the improved blood circulation. I feel much more comfortable when sleep[ing].
Your superb knowledge in herbal medicine helped me. For that I am thankful.
AY, Montreal
It sure looks that way. What are they afraid of? That there are some well designed studies confirming natural therapies safe and effective? Drug companies have a foot in the back door? Nah, i’m probably just being paranoid…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, January 28, 2010
Want to be a MEDLINE Information Censor?
The National Library of Medicine Needs You!
(OMNS, Jan 28, 2010) Would you like to dictate what nutritional research people may or may not access? Why not join the NLM’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee?
We think a good preparatory step is to take the Medline Censorship Aptitude Test (MED-CENT).
Not to worry; it’s multiple choice.
First question: Which of the following research papers is NOT indexed by the National Library of Medicine’s Medline?
A) Olfactory responses and field attraction of mosquitoes to volatiles from Limburger cheese and human foot odor. (J Vector Ecol, 1998)
B) Heated socks maintain toe temperature but not always skin blood flow as mean skin temperature falls. (Aviat Space Environ Med, 2003)
C) Jefferson JW, Thompson TD. Rhinotillexomania (nose-picking): psychiatric disorder or habit? (J Clin Psychiatry, 1995)
D) Pauling L, Rath M. An orthomolecular theory of human health and disease. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)
Answer: Only choice “D” is not available on Medline. The others most certainly are. Search each one and see for yourself at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
Let’s try another: Which of these studies is NOT indexed by Medline?
A) Psychophysiological responding during script-driven imagery in people reporting abduction by space aliens. (Psychol Sci, 2004)
B) The eyebrow frown: a salient social signal. (Emotion, 2002)
C) Staring at one side of the face increases blood flow on that side of the face. (Psychophysiology, 2004)
D) Rath M, Pauling L. Solution to the puzzle of human cardiovascular disease: Its primary cause is ascorbate deficiency leading to the deposition of lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen/fibrin in the vascular wall. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)
Answer: “D” is not on Medline. All the rest are.
Ready? Select the study below that is NOT on Medline:
A) Espresso kiosks can be profitable addition to hospital foodservice. (Health Foodserv Mag, 2000)
B) Espresso maker’s wrist. (West J Med, 1990)
C) Characterization of particles in cream cheese. (J Dairy Sci, 2004)
D) Rath M, Pauling L. Case Report: Lysine/ascorbate related amelioration of angina pectoris. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)
Yes, the study that Medline does not think is important enough for you to see is choice “D”. The others are all indexed online by NLM at taxpayer expense.
Next:
A) The Easter bunny in October: is it disguised as a duck? (Percept Mot Skills, 1993)
B) Increasing the portion size of a packaged snack increases energy intake in men and women. (Appetite, 2004)
C) A piece of my mind. Reflections while listening to the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto. (JAMA, 2003)
D) Rath M, Pauling L. Apoprotein(a) is an adhesive protein. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1991)
You guessed it: “D” is not on Medline.
One last chance, now:
A) How dogs navigate to catch Frisbees. (Psychol. Sci, 2004)
B) Effect on tipping of barman drawing a sun on the bottom of customers’ checks. (Psychol Rep, 2000)
C) An objective evaluation of the waterproofing qualities, ease of insertion and comfort of commonly available earplugs. (Clin Otolaryngol, 2004)
D) Hoffer A, Pauling L. Hardin Jones biostatistical analysis of mortality data for a second set of cohorts of cancer patients with a large fraction surviving at the termination of the study and a comparison of survival times of cancer patients receiving large regular oral doses of vitamin C and other nutrients with similar patients not receiving these doses. (J Orthomolecular Medicine, 1993)
Choice “D” is not indexed by Medline. The others are. Yes, they really are. Just type in the title at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
If you got all the above items right, you are well qualified to become a member of the NLM’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee, because you can discern what research should and should not be available to the public.
Censoring Linus Pauling
If you look carefully at the first four questions, you will see that four of Linus Pauling’s papers appeared in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in just one year. That year was 1991. Two years after this, JOM was reviewed by the National Library of Medicine’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee. NLM uses a point scale of zero to 5, with five being the highest recommendation for indexing, and zero being the lowest. On March 4, 1993, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine received a “0.0″ score.
One cannot escape the significance of such judgment. After all, “0.0″ is not merely a low mark. “0.0″ represents an absolute dearth of merit. And “zero point zero” states it so flatly as to leave no room for alternate interpretations.
To this day, after additional reviews, Medline still does not include the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.
To read the Linus Pauling papers that Medline decided rate a “0.0″: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1991/toc3.shtml and http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1993/toc3.shtml
For free online access to 600 more full-text papers from the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/
To personally thank your National Library of Medicine for keeping all this information from the taxpayer:
Ms Betsy Humphreys, Deputy Director, NLM
email: betsy.humphreys@nih.gov or betsy_humphreys@nlm.nih.gov
phone: 301-496-6661
You can also call the NLM Customer Service desk at 1-888-FIND-NLM (1-888-346-3656). Remember to be polite, because, after all, they are the “World’s Largest Medical Library.” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nlmhome.html
Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)
James A. Jackson, PhD (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor and contact person. Email: omns@orthomolecular.org
To Subscribe at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html
return to PierreBlack.com
or book an appointment at 514-564-7847.
I had been meaning to post more here and get moving on scheduling workshops as soon as I was back from Mexico but I have been so busy! That’s what happens when you leave for 3 weeks. Between settling back in after the trip, work, study, social requests, family stuff, and a huge plant care session lasting 2 days, I have been swamped.
I had the last of my plants returned to me – they were all being taken care of by different people while I was in Japan. Along with the few returned to me, my cousin gave me a new mandarin orange tree grown from a seed by my grandmother! It’s about 7 feet tall almost touching the ceiling. I ended up re-potting about 10 of my plants and doing a much needed winter grooming session on all 35 (!) of them.
I find caring for plants or gardening to be one of the most grounding activities for me, and living in the city it represents one of the rare opportunities to get my hands in the dirt and “be with nature”. Even if it is just a pot in my downtown apartment, each plant for me is a little piece of nature that I am responsible for stewarding, and makes me feel more connected to everything.
So one big disappointment about an otherwise fantastic trip to Mexico is that I lost my camera on New Year’s eve and it had all my photos on it from the whole trip! I was hoping someone would find it for me after I left Puerto Vallarta but it seems to be actually gone forever. I had spent a lot of time taking pictures, many of which were supposed to end up on this blog. I also loved that camera – it served me well all through my travels of the past couple of years starting with Cuba.
So, I promised a Mexican street-food survival guide soon and that will be my next entry. I’m just waiting to see Yolaine’s trip pictures and hoping that there are some good shots of some of the incredible street-food we ate.
And, lastly there have been a lot of inquiries about when my Sunday meditation gatherings are likely to start again. Most likely Sunday, Jan 24, at 3pm will be the next one, but i will announce this formally when i’m sure.
Hope you are all having a great start to the new decade.
More soon…
Hibiscus Tea in Puerto Vallarta
by Yolaine
return to PierreBlack.com
or book an appointment at 514-564-7847.
Just back to Montreal after an incredible 3 weeks in Mexico. Spent time in Mexico City, Oaxaca, Guanahuato, and Puerto Vallarta. The trip ended with a big family New Year’s party in Puerto Vallarta with a total of 17 of my family members! Lots of fun. It’s not often that we all get together in one place.
Eventually I will get to some trip details that are actually relevant to this blog and post some photos, but for now I will just mention some highlights…
- Mexico City street food was the best food of the trip and the best Mexican food i’ve ever had! How do I eat street food while traveling and not get any unpleasantness down below? Tune in next time…
- Oaxaca is a fantastic region to visit, very tourist friendly yet still very Mexican. The city features lots of street festivals and parades leading up to Christmas. Also a great place to eat good food. Many local specialties including mole, the famously complex Mexican special sauces made with a long list of ingredients including chili peppers of varying intensity, nuts, other spices and even cocoa. Lots to do in the region especially for ecotourists and adventuring. Lots of specialized artisans offering high quality weaving, sculpture, pottery, etc.
- Guanahuato is a stunningly beautiful small city nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains a few hours drive East from Guadalajara. The very dense packing together of buildings as the city grew and the fact that everything is on a hill make for some very unusual architecture and urban planning including some underground streets, steep mountainside neighborhoods with traditional brightly painted houses connected only by zigzagging pedestrian alleyways and staircases.
- Wealthy Puerto Vallarta looks more like California that Mexico with it’s WalMarts, American Restaurant chains, and luxury hotels and condos lining the endless beach. Everyone speaks English things are too clean. Highlights here included sneaking into a circus and petting a baby tiger, endless (excessive?) partying with my family, and a midnight swim in the churning Pacific on New Year’s eve.
return to PierreBlack.com
or book an appointment at 514-564-7847.
Please note; I will be leaving for Mexico on December 9th and returning at the beginning of January 2010.
Noon tomorrow (12pm Thursday Dec 3) is the deadline for ordering any you require supplements before I leave.
I will still be checking email but not phone messages during this time. Please be patient as I will have limited internet access.
Workshops/Socials for 2010,
any workshop can be booked at your convenience…
377 Sherbrooke West, corner Av Du Parc,
IMPORTANT Access Details:
external door code 0377, then dial 130 on the intercom, when buzzed in go to third floor, suite 303.
If all else fails call 514-564-7847
Meditation Outside the Box
upcoming: Sunday Dec 6, 3pm (probably will be continued every Sunday – starting in January.)
RSVP required.
Meditation without rules or dogma. What do all meditators share regardless of religion or culture? Improvements in health, wellbeing, creativity, mindfulness, self awareness, and the protraction of time. Learn the core method and purpose behind meditation.
30 minute group meditation followed by tea, possibly snacks, and informal discussion.
I hope to make this a regular Sunday event.
$2 – $5 optional donation requested.
Please arrive between 2:45 and 3:15.
You must arrive by 3:15 to participate.
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The SOUP of Life, soup making workshop
Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian versions available
re-book at your convenience
It’s Soup season! Soup is cheap, simple, and healthy! For so many people and cultures around the world Soup is so much more that just an appetizer. A well made soup is a traditional nutritional powerhouse, often able to sum up the flavor profile of a particular region or culinary tradition, and is often essential for survival in the diets of those cultures who have learned to live well in the icier latitudes. Soup is comfort, sustenance, and medicine.
3 hours of Soup:
Learn to build a delicious soup from the ground up with no recipe. Learn the basics of a traditional broth and why its worth the effort. Learn why a good soup is real medicine and how to enhance this aspect. Oh yeah, and we’ll be eating soup too!
$25 per person, minimum 4 people.
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Integrating Superfood: Beans, Lentils, and Whole Grains
a Vegetarian workshop
re-book at your convenience
How to prepare and best enjoy the food combination that sustains humanity. Discover what traditional food-cultures all over the world already know; why legumes and grains together are one of the the most balancing, nourishing food combinations you can choose, and how you can prepare them deliciously, cheaply, and organically to suit your taste. The myth that beans cause farting; why only improperly prepared beans have this noxious effect.
$25 per person, minimum 4 people. 3 hours.
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Transformative Breathwork workshop, gateway to your subconscious.
De-bug your programming. Breathing techniques similar to those used in some modern psychotherapeutic techniques as well as numerous spiritual traditions from around the world, induce an altered state which acts as a path to improved self-awareness, deep introspection, and personal problem solving. Surprising results.
$25 per person, minimum 4 people. 2 hours.
Private breathwork sessions can also be arranged.
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Crazy Winter Hikes on Mount Royal
Jump into Winter! Looking for activity partners for deep winter hikes through the back trails of Mt. Royal. 2-4 hours. Free!
More to come…
