U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a taxpayer funded “watchdog” agency charged with protecting public health. However, as numerous independent investigations have found, it has a reputation for reshaping its mission to be more in line with private industries that do not particularly have the public interest at heart.
The latest scandal focuses on CDC coziness with Coca Cola. Scientists worldwide are in broad agreement that consumption of sugary sodas has contributed mightily to the obesity epidemic and could be responsible for tens of thousands of deaths per year. U.S. Right to Know (USRTK), a nonprofit consumer group researching food industry practices and influence on public policy, uncovered evidence that Barbara Bowman, director of CDC’s Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, advised a senior Coca Cola executive on how to prevent World Health Organization (WHO) from cracking down on added sugar. Two days after this disclosure, Bowman quit. Documentation has also surfaced that other CDC staff provided political guidance to Coca Cola on how to lobby CDC to play down health risks of sugar and that CDC has accepted large contributions from the soda pop megacorp to the CDC Foundation.
Are we naïve to think that government agencies should actually work for the people? Where is Congressional oversight? Where’s the outrage? If you care about integrity in government, call your Congressional representatives and demand answers. More on this investigation at: usrtk.org/our-investigations/#coca-cola.
To your health!
Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (F.A.C.T.)
P.S. Heads up! In a few weeks, we will introduce our most comprehensive publication to date: Healing Cancer — The Unconventional Wisdom of Ruth Sackman. Ruth, co-founder and former president of F.A.C.T., is someone you will want to know. Also, our film, Rethinking Cancer, is now streaming internationally on Amazon and iTunes, and will soon be on Gaia.com. As always, thanks for your support and stay tuned in on Twitter, Facebook and our YouTube channel!
Regenerative: Beyond Organic
In the 1967 movie The Graduate, Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman, is confused and worried about his future. Early on in the film, a corporate buddy of his dad takes the young man aside. Standing beside the swimming pool of a glitzy L.A. home, the exec looks Ben in the eye and says one word, “plastics.”
In the opinion of a growing worldwide body of scientists, farmers, environmental groups, think tanks, organic food and clothing producers, et al, today the word — the key to the future — would be very different. That word is “regenerative” as in Regenerative Agriculture. READ MORE
Yoga for Your Face?
The Internet is a great information resource, but it’s become a truism that it is also a place where unsubstantiated claims for weird stuff often resides.
A group of dermatologists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago were highly skeptical of the proliferation of websites touting facial exercises to reverse the visual effects of aging. Presented by men and woman with no medical credentials, these programs were touting “nonsurgical face-lifts” with only anecdotal evidence of any beneficial effects. The dermatologists decided to find out if there was any scientific proof behind these claims. READ MORE
Buckwheat Is Not Wheat
Buckwheat is classified as a pseudograin (also called pseudocereal)! It may look and cook like a cereal grain, but it doesn’t come from grasses, like rye, oats or wheat. Rather, it is a fruit seed from the flowers of a plant related to rhubarb and sorrel. Do not be deterred, however. When it comes to health benefits, there is nothing pseudo about buckwheat. It’s the real deal, rich in nutrients and nutty flavor and, by the way, gluten-free.
Buckwheat is one of the oldest cultivated crops. First grown around 6,000 BC in Southeast Asia, it spread to Central Asia and Tibet, then onto the Middle East, Europe and the New World where it became a popular traditional food. However, in the 19th century, with the advent of industrial agriculture and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, buckwheat became less common. The new technology favored mass production of wheat, corn and soy — grains that have become highly processed and overused to a point harmful to the environment as well as human health. But since the early 2000s, demand has been surging for healthy “gluten-free” ancient grains, and buckwheat, along with quinoa and amaranth, is making a comeback. READ MORE
Basic Buckwheat
- 1 cup raw or roasted buckwheat groats
- 1¾ cups pure (preferably distilled) water
- 1-2 Tbsp butter from grass-fed animals, to taste, unsalted
- ½ tsp unrefined salt, or to taste
- Rinse buckwheat well and drain (easiest to use a colander and let excess water drain off).
- In a medium saucepan, combine buckwheat with 1¾ cups water, 1 Tbsp butter and ½ tsp salt. Bring just to a simmer, then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 18-20 min. Just like with rice, you should hear hissing while cooking and it will get quiet when done. Stir in additional 1 Tbsp butter, if desired. Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge and freezes well.
- For a little pizzazz, while still warm after cooking, use a fork to fold in some extras, like a small amount of chopped parsley, chopped mushrooms, pine nuts or chopped walnuts.