Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Home » Posts tagged 'Health & Wellness'
Tag Archives: Health & Wellness
Over 400 cities march against Monsanto and GMO food
One would think that a major global protest occurring in over 400 cities, on the same day, would be breaking news. Yet, in the United States the global protest against Monsanto and GMO food was barely mentioned. Outside of the US, this was most definitely breaking news.
According to RT News, “Activists accuse the agricultural corporation of selling toxic chemicals, which are bad for people’s health, water supplies, vital crop pollinators and environment in general. The giant is also criticized for its attitude towards food safety regulations and a staunch opposition to GMO labeling. Meanwhile, small farmers blame Monsanto for monopolizing the seed market.”
France alone had over 20 cities participate in the protest. In the United States, protests were held in “New York; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; San Franciso; Chicago; Indianapolis; Portland, Oregon; Oakland, California and dozens of others… protesters marched on the White House and Monsanto’s Washington, DC headquarters as part of the anti-GMO action. (RT.com)”
Monsanto now controls approximately 90% of the seed supply in the United States alone. As reported in prior articles, one of the most dangerous aspects of Monsanto is their use of proprietary trademark laws, which state that anything their seeds touch or grow in becomes a part of their trademark. So if you use Monsanto seeds, technically your land now becomes their land. If you doubt this, then search the internet for all of the cases where Monsanto has sued farmers claiming rights to the farmers land.
With the recent announcements from several restaurants and fast food chains, that they will no longer carry either GMO food or food with artificial ingredients, combined with the ever increasing amount of protests around the world, perhaps, the tide is slowly turning against a truly dangerous and sinister industry. Time will tell. Unfortunately, since most Americans are more interested in reality TV and getting their news from stations that are more Infotainment than true news (CNN, FOX, local news included), they are unaware of this battle and the progress being made.
In future elections, perhaps a major concern for people should be, what politicians have received funding from Monsanto or other GMO companies and interests and who “owns” the politician(s) you are thinking about casting your ballot for.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
Humanity is beginning to push back against GMO
For many years it seemed like mankind was doomed to eat “franken-food” made from genetically modified organisms. The United States government and mega international agricultural companies (DuPont and Monsanto to name a few), have been long time supporters of this experimental food.
The risks of food containing GMO have been thoroughly discussed in prior articles and you are encouraged to read those prior to this article.
- The unnatural state of natural food in the US
- World unites against Monsanto and GM food
- NutraSweet: introduces a new poison to the world
- Will Mexico join the movement against GMO food?
- Peru takes a major step in the GMO battle
These prior articles will show the battles that have already taken place in this ongoing struggle for the preservation of “real food”.
Until recently, much of the progress in resisting and standing up to the GMO onslaught, has been waged in other countries, with a continued apathy by most American consumers; who for the most part appeared more than willing to give little or no thought to what they were actually eating. With only a minor pause for reflecting on … “if fries come with that”.
It was with great surprise to discover over the last few weeks that two major “Fast Food” chains have decided to take a stand against unhealthy and dangerous food additives, namely GMO ingredients and chemical additives.
Chipotle Mexican Grill announced in April 2015 that they were now 100% GMO free. They even published a nice list on their website to help educate the public on the dangers of GMO and why they chose to remove them:
- Scientists are still studying the long term implications of GMOs.
- The cultivation of GMOs can damage the environment.
- Chipotle should be a place where people can eat food made with non-GMO ingredients.
Panera Bread also recently announced that by 2016 they will remove all “artificial preservatives, colorings, sweeteners or flavors” and that all of their food will be free of any artificial or synthetic ingredients.
Now one could reasonably ask, why is it going to take them 1-2 years to switch when Chipotle, Trader Joes and others have already made the switch, that is for the consumer to decide, however, at least they have committed to the transition.
These recent decisions are evidence of what is possible when an educated populace begins to make informed decisions that affect the bottom lines of companies. It is highly unlikely, that many of these companies would have, or plan to, made the switch to healthier ingredients, if not for the fear of losing money. McDonalds, a long time advocate of GMO food, with their famous franken-chicken and mystery meat compounds, has lost a lot of business to the likes of Chipotle and Panera Bread.
Two concluding thoughts:
- We all need to make sure we keep up the pressure and insist on natural or organic ingredients and absolutely no GMOs.
- Also, what method is their to ensure that these companies are actually making the changes they are claiming? What guarantee do we have that your next burrito at Chipotle actually is GMO free and not just an elaborate marketing ploy?
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
Suffering from text neck or turkey neck, Taoism to the rescue
Many people spend several hours each day either in front of a computer or using their “smart phones”. There is a good chance that you are reading this article from a “smart” device, whether it be a phone or tablet, or the ever increasing (in size anyway) phablet.
When surveyed, teenagers and people in their early 20’s report that they spend almost the entire day using their phone; texting, posting messages, reading email, browsing facebook and twitter etc… Some people even have the urge to text while sleeping; that’s right, rapid eye movement has been replaced with rapid finger taping while sleeping. If you search for “finger twitching while sleeping” you will find many people looking for advice for this relatively new problem. “According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8-18 year olds spend an average of seven and a half hours using ‘entertainment media’ every day. (Your smart phone is a pain in the neck)”
This finger twitching/tapping, however, is a minor problem compared to the much larger and potentially problematic condition of the “text neck” or “turkey neck” phenomenon.
This condition is created as a result of repeated and prolonged poor posture that is encouraged by using so called smart devices, in particular smart phones.
The tendency is to hold the phone at chest level and tilt the head and neck forward to look down at the phone. When you do this, a tremendous pressure is placed on the neck and over time the spine begins to degenerate.
“Dean Fishman, a chiropractor in Florida, was examining an X-ray of a 17-year-old patient’s neck in 2009 when he noticed something unusual. The ghostly image of her vertebral column showed a reversal of the curvature that normally appears in the cervical spine — a degenerative state he’d most often seen in middle-aged people who had spent several decades of their life in poor posture.
‘That’s when I looked over at the patient, ‘Fishman says. She was slumped in her chair, head tilted downward, madly typing away on her cellphone. When he mentioned to the patient’s mother that the girl’s posture could be causing her headaches, he got what he describes as an “emotional response.’ It seemed the teen spent much of her life in that position. Right then, Fishman says, ‘I knew I was on to something.”
“The head in neutral has a normal weight” of 10 to 12 pounds, says Fishman, explaining that neutral position is ears over shoulders with shoulder blades pulled back. “If you start to tilt your head forward, with gravity and the distance from neutral, the weight starts to increase.”
This pressure on the neck and spine can vary between neutral to 60 pounds at a 60 degree tilt forward. Imagine carrying around 60 pounds on your neck, for several hours each day!
“Judith Gold, ScD, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Temple University’s College of Health Professions and Social Work, presented evidence at this year’s meeting of the American Public Health Association suggesting that the more college students texted, the more pain they reported in their necks and shoulders.”
What can we do to prevent these problems?
The usual recommendations are good, however, they do not go far enough. For instance, recommending that the person sit with a straight back/spine, shoulders relaxed, head straight, bring the phone up to eye level rather than looking down, limit extended use by taking frequent breaks etc…
There is a better solution that will enhance the above recommendations. Practice the ancient Taoist “Turtle Exercise”.
Sit in a comfortable chair or on the floor (if floor then cross your legs), wrap your fingers around your thumbs (baby fist) and rest them on your lap. Sit with the back straight, lightly close the eyes, take a deep breath in and bring your chin down slightly and back towards the throat so the back of the neck stretches upward, exhale and bring the chin up so the back of the neck “folds into the shoulders”, repeat 12 times, slowly and do not strain. Practice 3 sets of 12 once or twice daily, or when needed. This will help to strengthen the spine, and nerves, and also serves as a meditation when combined with “Crane Breathing”.
This in addition to the other Taoist Internal Exercises will help to ensure that you prevent or help improve this painful and damaging problem.
Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.
Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.
Recent Comments