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Article compiled by Laura McDermid
Mention the word “Genetically Modified Foods” and you will get different reactions depending on who you are talking to. Despite GMOs being grown commercially in South Africa since 1997, there is very little consumer awareness – even with government and NGOs making information on GMOs available. In fact, a HSRC survey in 2004 found that 70% of South Africans have never even heard of genetic engineering! For those who have heard of GM; some poo-poo it as a storm in a tea-cup, some cower in fear as GM conjures up images of Frankenstein’s experiments and some are neutral on the issue .We have been assured by our governments and “people in-the-know” that GM foods are safe as houses, yet is it really??
The lingering doubt is created by the fact that there is just not enough information available to make an informed choice. However, most of our intuitions seem to be waving a red flag – why is that? Could it be that as a species we’ve learnt from our mistakes? Fifty years ago, cigarettes and smoking were deemed to be ‘harmless’; you would have to be insane these days to believe that it’s benign considering all the evidence to the contrary.
If science could assure us with certainty that serious consequences do not wait for us at the end of the line, it might be to our best interest to not let this opportunity pass. Progressive thinking in terms of feeding the destitute and creating profit is certainly not wrong. But to brush off precaution on the convenient argument that there is not enough evidence to prove that GM food is indeed harmful is sheer irresponsibility. It certainly is a lame excuse to offer in the event that GM foods are indeed proven to contain health hazards.
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With vegetarianism gaining increasing popularity from the 1970's, reaching its peak in the 1990's, soy has emerged as a 'near perfect' food, with supporters claiming it can provide an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopausal symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis - among many other things. It seems like a good thing - or is it really? How did such a 'healthy food' emerge from a product that in 1913 was listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product?
According to lipid specialist and nutritionist Mary Enig, PhD, "The reason there's so much soy in America is because the soy industry started to plant soy to extract the oil from it and soy oil became a very large industry." There was a lot of soy oil and with it came a lot of soy protein residue as a left over by-product, and since they couldn't feed it to the animals, except in small amounts, they had to find another big market which, of course, was human consumption.
This excess soy production and its protein residue was the motivation for the multi-million dollars spent on advertising and intense lobbying of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which resulted in about 74 percent of U.S. consumers believing that soy products are healthy. Australia has traditionally prided itself as being a dairy consuming nation, due to the fact that we have such abundant supply of cattle. However, lactose intolerance is becoming a health concern recognised by the medical profession; accordingly, soy is becoming very popular as an alternative to dairy, following in the footsteps of US consumers in believing that all soy-based products have health benefits. In reality, the research that has concluded that all soy products are healthy is far from accurate, and very much skewed by economic motives.
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 All About Health offers free directory listings to all involved in the alternative health industry.
Once you have REGISTERED as a user you can complete this ONLINE FORM and your listing will appear immediatley on our website!
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So what about Restorative Yoga and Healing
RY gives the body a lot of time to allow the release and relaxation of tissues around the energy channels in the body. When we have been in a stressed condition for a long time and when our bodies are full of the stress hormone toxins it takes some time for the tissues to become less clogged and let go of their overload of biochemicals. Normal yoga practice does not allow such deep release unless you are doing it with mindfulness everyday.
For most people with limited time to practice yoga the Restorative form is the easiest way to gain deep healing from yoga. It may feel as if you are doing very little but in fact you are managing to heal at such a profound level you only become aware of it a stage at a time.
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Many people are reluctant to admit they’re afraid, even to themselves. Somehow, they believe that if they acknowledge their fear, they give it power to run their lives. In other words, deep down, they’re afraid of their fear! Men especially will often go to great lengths to hide their fears or anxieties behind a facade of confidence or anger or rationality. At the other extreme, of course, some people seem to be afraid of just about everything.
The truth is we all experience fear and anxiety, at least occasionally. In addition to the raw rush of adrenaline you feel when your physical survival seems to be at stake, you experience the fear that inevitably arises when you face the unknown or the uncertain in life — which can be quite often these days. Ultimately, you’re afraid because you believe that you’re a separate, isolated entity surrounded by forces beyond your control. The more the walls that separate you from others crumble through the practice of yoga, the more your fear and anxiety naturally diminish. When working with fear, it’s especially important to be kind and gentle with yourself. |
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We start simply by sitting in a comfortable position with the spine resting on the upright sacrum, - grounding the tailbone to the earth, and extending the spine and torso (in mulabandha) so that the occiput extends toward the sky and the chin is slightly drawn in (a soft jalandhara bandha). It might help to halfway to close the eyes gazing inside and upward touching the tongue lightly to the roof of mouth while the eyes look up softly into the ajna chakra.
We then visualize a brilliant bright light at the base of the spine. As we breathe in we visualize this brilliant bright light entering the chakra and purifying it. As we exhale we visualize the chakra opening (like the petals of a lotus blossom) and say the seed syllable (once or up to sixteen times). Then we again visualize a brilliant bright light at the base of the spine and as we inhale, visualizing this light raising up to the next chakra purifying it. Again as we exhale, we visualize the chakra opening like the petals of a lotus blossom as we vibrate the seed syllable for that chakra out loud. Eventually we work up to the crown kinesthetically feeling the vibratory nature of these energies. With the awareness focused within to this energy flow we sit in silent awareness connecting the root with the crown (sambhavi mudra).
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All About Health has finally become fully BEE compliant by recently launching their new offering of Raw Honey Granola.
As the name suggests,the product is made with raw, organic honey which is sourced directly from the bee keeper (badger friendly). It contains rolled oats, cashew nuts, almonds, seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flax and sunflower), coconut flakes and raw honey. There is no added cane sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives!
Please see our muesli stockists to find your nearest outlet.
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Childhood
I recently read a phenomenal book by John Bradshaw - Creating Love 1. He discusses at length the dysfunctional ways in which we learn to love through conditioning from our cultures and families. He also digs deeply into child abuse and I found it significant that he says "Emotional abuse is the most common form of child abuse".
The more I read about our childhood and the effect it continuous to have on us, the more I'm astounded at how "unaware" I've been until very recently. I’m 44 now and until about 5 years ago, I believed wholeheartedly I had a fantastic childhood. It’s only now that I am able to admit how much “stuff” I have as a result of my parents’ behaviour when I was growing up.
I do know and acknowledge that my parents did the very best they could and that’s why I never wanted to blame or pass judgement. The fact is that even when they do their utmost best, we were all deeply affected by our parents and how they behaved. A small child might experience a shouting, angry man triple their size as extremely traumatic. A father might simply be expressing his irritation after a hard day at the office, but the child experiences enormous fear for their survival and safety.
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Stopping Smoking – Hypnosis Works and Lasts
The dangers of smoking have been studied for years. The detrimental effect of smoking on people’s health and their activities is now public knowledge, and many people who have become addicted are now looking for ways to kick the habit.
Most stop-smoking programs work at increasing the individual’s strength to resist the desire to smoke. They rely on willpower, and for most people that is the worst method for stopping smoking. Willpower fluctuates like moods and emotions. One day it may be strong, the next day it may be weak.
Hypnosis works by eliminating the desire to smoke, whether it be from identification or replacement, the two principle reasons for smoking.
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