Discretion is a virtue! Multi Media marketers are convinced that the American Public is swayed by headlines, and that they do not have the interest or intelligence to scratch below the surface. A case in point follows. On Sept 3, 2012, just as everyone was getting serious in terms of returning to school, making plans to head back to Florida for the winter,  and ending summer frivolities, the following headlines were splashed across all news media, including The Washington Post, WebMD, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, ABC, CBS and others:

“Organic Foods no Healthier than Conventional Food”
”Organic Foods- are they worth the extra cost?”

My immediate reaction to these kinds of headlines, is to go to the source and actually read the full article. You can read the abstract for yourself:  “Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review”, conducted at Stanford University and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Read the abstract here:  (http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685 )

The conclusions based on this literature review include:

• Consumption of organic food may significantly reduce exposure to pesticide residues by      30 % vs consuming conventional food

• Consumption of organic food significantly reduces the risk of exposure to anti-biotic      resistant disease causing bacteria by approximately 33 %

• “Literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious  than conventional foods”

Simply by using these exact conclusions, the headlines COULD have said,

“Organic Food Great Asset in Maintaining Health- less pesticide, less bacteria!”

Instead, the headlines did not mention the positive health enhancing aspects of organic foods, and blew up and actually twisted the results to obscure the obvious superiority of organic foods! After thinking about why anyone would want to put forth incorrect information, I came to the conclusion that the timing of the release of this study coincided with the current movement in California to pass Proposition 37. Proposition 37 is actually on the ballet in California, and is also known as THE RIGHT TO KNOW ACT. If passed, this would require food in California to be labeled in terms of containing ingredients that are genetically modified (GMO). If this passes in California, it will hopefully lead to labeling in all 50 states within the next few years. I personally have been working staunchly against the proliferation of GMO foods since they were being developed in the late 1960’s! Let me pose this question, why would ANYONE be against the labeling of GMO foods? Labeling would not stop anyone from choosing to eat them if they wanted to- but it would allow those people who do not want to eat them ( like everyone in Europe) , a chance to choose! Right now, with no GMO labeling, one of the ONLY ways to be sure that you are not ingesting GMO food, is to choose organic food ! I was also interested to learn from Natural News, that one of the authors of the Stanford Study, Dr. Ingram Olkin, was deeply involved with the Tobacco Lobby, and helped to promote pseudo- science that downplayed the negative health effects of smoking. (www.naturalnews.com/037108_Stanford_Ingram_Olkin_Big_Tobacco.html) Dr. Olkin also has known ties to big business players in the GMO proliferation industry, who, of course, are working hard to stop the passage of Proposition 37, since all of the foods they sell are tainted with GMO’s.

Looking more deeply at the positive properties of organic farming, there are studies that DO show that organic food is more nutritious. One example of this is “Organic Food Has a Higher Nutrient Content”. In an interview with Charles Benbrook, Chief Scientist for The Organic Center, Dr. Benbrook points out that higher levels of Vitamin C and antioxidants have been measured in organic foods.  (www.bioneers.org/programs/food-farming-1/articles-interviews/organic-food-has-a-higher-nutrient-content-an-interview-with-charles-benbrook ) In addition to increased health benefits from eating organic foods, as well as the fact that taste tests demonstrate that  they often come out ahead in freshness and flavor, there are many environmental benefits, such as less pollution, less toxic water runoff, less development of resistant strains of plant pests, better soil quality, increased bio-diversity, increased crop yield, increased worker health, and many more! In terms of cost, organic can also save you money, especially if you factor in the health benefits of avoiding the many health issues that are linked to exposure to endocrine-disrupting toxic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. Another way to save is to seek out farmers markets and local small growers, who often cannot afford organic certification, but grow all of their crops naturally! In either case, labeling of GMO’s would increase your knowledge, so that you can be a more educated consumer!

Ellen Kamhi PhD RN, The Natural Nurse®, can be heard on radio here

She is the author of several books, including The Natural Medicine Chest.  Dr. Kamhi has been involved in natural health care for over 4 decades. She answers and offers private patient consultations. www.naturalnurse.com   (954) 418-2388