Organic fruits and vegetables cost more than conventional ones — sometimes a lot more. But if you want to avoid pesticide exposure, is it always necessary to choose organic? Or are some conventional fruits and veggies less contaminated? In this article, we go in depth into the Environmental Working Group’s US-based report on the 12 dirtiest and 15 “cleanest” items of produce, to help you make smart decisions to protect yourself and your loved ones from harmful pesticides.
The agricultural industry is addicted to pesticides, and the entire world is paying the price. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that global pesticide use in 2012 amounted to approximately six billion pounds. Unfortunately, they haven’t published a report since then, but the number likely hasn’t improved and may have gotten worse.
While the term “pesticide” implies that these chemicals target and kill “pests,” a better name would be “biocides” (destroyers of life) because they do a lot more than poison pests.
Pesticides poison insects and pollinators; contaminate soil, water, and air; and can cause harm to farmworkers, agricultural communities, and people who eat produce sprayed with pesticides.
How common is it for US produce to have pesticide contamination? “Nearly 75% of nonorganic fresh produce sold in the US contains residues of potentially harmful pesticides,” according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
In this article, we’re going to review the most and least pesticide-contaminated produce, so you can make more informed fruit and vegetable purchases.
I have always enjoyed growing different plants that are not commonly available.
This is one of the aspects that makes gardening more enjoyable and exciting when you have successes.
Three vegetables that I have grown in the past and am writing about are not rare but not common for many gardeners.
The first of these is called Chayote or more commonly known as Choko.
Originating from Mexico where the vines grow prolifically they have little financial value there likely because they are so prolific.
Specialist fruit and vegetable shops or flea markets are likely to have chokos for sale at this time of the year for about a dollar each.
Most people likely do not know the fruit and by pass them where people from Asia are likely to be the main buyers.
Choko are a member of the gourd family; Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash.
In Asia they are commonly diced up and used in stir fries and soups.
The fruit does not need to be peeled to be cooked or fried in slices. Most people regard it as having a very mild flavor by itself.
It is commonly served raw with seasonings (e.g. salt, butter and pepper) or in a dish with other salad vegetables and/or flavorings. It can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled in escabeche sauce.
Both fruit and seed are rich in amino acids and vitamin C.
The fresh green fruit are firm and without brown spots or signs of sprouting. Smaller ones are more tender. I actually I like the fruit raw eaten like an apple they are crisp and refreshing.
The tuberous part of the root is starchy and eaten like a yam (can be fried).
The leaves and fruit have diuretic, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory properties, and a tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and to dissolve kidney stones. So a very versatile, interesting plant.
They are easy to grow and the older fruit will start shooting from the base then all you need to do is place the fruit sideways, half buried in compost with the shoot upwards.
Start off in a container where it will root up and then protect in a glasshouse or similar (even a window sill) till spring when it can be planted out.
It must be planted in a free draining situation, sunny and a degree of protection from frosts.
Spray the vine with Vaporgard for frost protection in winter and cover with frost cloth when there is two or more frosts in a row.
The first season from experience I found no fruit but a lot of growth and some winter damage.
The next season I once again thought all it wanted to do was grow but as the day light hours shortened small flowers and fruit started forming. The fruit grow rapidly and within a week or so a baby fruit becomes bigger than your fist.
For the health and mineral benefits we have; Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 80 kJ (19 kcal): Carbohydrates 4.51 g : Sugars 1.66 g : Dietary fiber 1.7 g : Fat 0.13 g : Protein 0.82 g.
That is an impressive range of B vitamins making 43% of total them there is Vitamin C (9%) 7.7 mg: Vitamin E (1%) 0.12 mg: Vitamin K (4%) 4.1 g
The Trace metals are Calcium (2%) 17 mg: Iron (3%) 0.34 mg: Magnesium (3%) 12 mg: Phosphorus (3%)18 mg: Potassium (3%) 125 mg: Zinc (8%) 0.74 mg
Health wise how good is that? So easy to grow and eat raw to obtain full benefits of the vitamins and minerals.
Next we have a less common one called Jerusalem Artichokes which is a root vegetable from the Helianthus tuberosus family, also called sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambour, it is a species of sunflower native to eastern North America.
Grown from tubers it can be successfully grown any where that has reasonable drainage and sun light.
Grown in a container, waste area, vegetable garden or flower garden it will thrive.
In a container it grows about a metre or so tall in open ground from a couple of metres to 3 or 4 metres tall dependent on soil and growing conditions.
In autumn it produces smaller sunflower blooms and dies back about this time of the year when you can start harvesting the tubers.
The nobbly tubers contain about 10% protein, no oil, and a surprising lack of starch. However, it is rich in the carbohydrate inulin (76%), which is a polymer of the monosaccharide fructose.
Tubers stored for any length of time will convert their inulin into its component fructose.
Jerusalem artichokes have an underlying sweet taste because of the fructose, which is about one and a half times sweeter than sucrose.
Jerusalem artichokes have also been promoted as a healthy choice for type 2 diabetics, because fructose is better tolerated by people who are type 2 diabetic.
It has also been reported as a folk remedy for diabetes.
Temperature variances have been shown to affect the amount of inulin the Jerusalem artichoke can produce. When not in tropical regions, it has been shown to make less inulin than when it is in a warmer region.
You can find recipes for the tubers on the Internet, steamed or baked and excellent for soups. They have a nutty, earthly taste a bit like Gin seng.
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) is Energy 304 kJ (73 kcal): Carbohydrates 17.44 g: Sugars 9.6 g: Dietary fiber 1.6 g : Fat 0.01 g: Protein 2 g.
Last and the most uncommon of all is yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius, syn.: Polymnia edulis, P. sonchifolia) a species of perennial daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots.
The peeled roots are lovely to eat raw, sweet to the taste without the side effects of sugar..
The tubers contain fructooligosaccharide, an indigestible polysaccharide made up of fructose.
Fructooligosaccharides taste sweet, but pass through the human digestive tract unmetabolised, hence have very little caloric value.
Moreover, fructooligosaccharides have a prebiotic effect, meaning they are used by beneficial bacteria that enhance colon health and aid digestion.
Easy to grow, plants grow about 1.5 metres tall large leaves with a texture like Borage harvest, roots in autumn.
If you can obtain a starter tuber of yacon its well worth growing.End….
Here is a link that I received recently that you maybe interested in especially in regards to the current select committee on the Therapeutic Products Bill.
This bill which has in the past been defeated twice before could mean that you are not allowed to grow healthy vegetables by some Govt committee if the bill is passed.
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:
1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)
2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)
3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)
4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)
Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion. This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)
I found this last feijoa season on fb courtesy of the Canterbury Herb Society. I did try it & it’s nice (& super easy). I’m no longer on fb so figured I’d share it here. Folk may like to try it with all the feijoas everywhere now. Not a fan of white sugar I used raw organic…copied anyway, straight from the CHS post …
Don’t waste those FEIJOA SKINS, they contain so many really valuable vitamins and minerals and are approximately half the weight of the Feijoa.
Here’s a really easy RECIPE for FEIJOA FIZZ and such cool way to make the most of them.
Ingredients:
Feijoa skins chopped
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
water
Method:
Place feijoa skins in a 1L container and add white sugar and fill up with water then cover.
Leave this for about two days till it begins to be a bit fizzy.
Throw away the skins and pour into a 1L bottle with 1T brown sugar and fill up with water. Leave in a warm place for one day. Then refrigerate.
More recipes to follow, like our page, ＠ＣＡＮＨＥＲＢＳＯＣ to keep in the loop!
Lynda is founder of The Health Forum NZ. Aly Cook has begun a petition seeking a Royal Commission of Inquiry regarding the safety & efficacy of the jab. It has nearly 20K signatures so far. I listened to both of these quite long interviews … so well worth the listen. Non-Kiwis, you can listen (as we all do) online. Issues aired include those mainstream are not willing to cover (not without bias anyway). EWR
Remember to make a submission … sure they don’t listen anyway, however, why roll over & give them free reign? Big Pharma is coming for all that is useful, healthful and free in your life. EWR
The sweet and spicy aroma of cinnamon makes it one of the world’s top spices. It’s been valued for its flavor and powerful health properties since at least 2800 BC.
Modern research has confirmed many important health benefits of cinnamon. Studies show that it contains powerful plant compounds that have an anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effect. Consuming cinnamon regularly can also help your heart and brain health.
Here’s more about what makes this everyday spice so powerful and the proven benefits for your health.
The Fascinating History of Cinnamon
Cinnamon comes from the bark of Cinnamomum trees. These trees are native to regions of Southeast Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam are the four top exporters of cinnamon today.
To make the rolled up cinnamon quills you buy in the store, the outer bark of the trees has to be stripped to reveal the inner bark. The inner bark is then shaved and allowed to dry. As it dries, it rolls up into the familiar shape of cinnamon sticks.
To say that cinnamon has been valued since ancient times would be an understatement. It’s mentioned several times in the Bible as part of a sacred anointing oil and was used in ancient Egypt for embalming.
Cinnamon also used to be extremely expensive, even to the point of being an acceptable gift to give royalty. Celyon, the island “homeland” of the most valuable type of cinnamon, passed through many different hands as several countries fought to control the trade for this in-demand spice.
Sujon blackcurrant, or any NZ blackcurrant, has been shown in several studies to improve performance and recovery. I have even met Professor Mark Willems from the UK, who did the original research. It may have something to do with how the berry adapts to the berry to high UV in NZ. Here’s a quick summary: https://www.sujon.co.nz/post/which-fruits-are-higher-in-antioxidants
So, I use it daily in my sports drinks when training and in recovery. Everyone will benefit but best when combined as follows:
The Therapeutics Product bill will limit access to supplements, herbs, spices & everyday foods.
What will you do to save your health & that of your children?
What will you do for happiness, wealth & a life well lived?
Without our health, these precious aspects of our lives are either not obtainable or meaningless.
Ardern may be gone, but the Therapeutics Product bill is not. There is a long way to go to reunite New Zealanders but a good place to start is in everyone’s interest – our health.
Vitamin C, aloe vera (even in your garden), cinnamon, fish oil, n-acetyl cysteine, Vitamin B12, magnesium, kawa-kawa, zinc, selenium, astragalus, niacin, calcium, bilberry, Vitamin A, iodine, crampbark, thiamine, iron, lavender, riboflavin, thyme, oats, valerian, chromium, ginger, coenzyme Q10, glutamine, chaste tree, echinacea, pantothenic acid, St John’s wort, slippery elm, tumeric, soy, probioitics, folate, licorice, garlic, flaxeed oil, cocoa, cranberry, pyridoxine, cloves, celery, carnitine, evening primrose oil, Vitamin D, New Zealand green lip mussel, psyllium, Vitamin E, tea, quercetin, rosemary……..
These compounds and many more are now under threat of being restricted to big companies and only available on a doctor’s prescription. The doctor in turn will likely not know anything about the health benefits of quercetin.
Think about how the “no” vote affected access to medicinal CBD. It is now on prescription only and costs around ten times the amount it did before. Do you want to pay ten times the price for Vitamin C or valerian?
And this for supplements that are estimated to be 45 000 times safer than pharmaceuticals and for food that we eat or drink daily.
Dr Guy Hatchard explains in more detail in this post.
What You Can Do
Stand up and speak out!
We did it before and it worked
Talk to everyone and anyone you can
Form a group
Hold a placard
Make a submission – Submissions close on 15th February
Start a petition
Visit your local MP – frequently.
The government needs to know how many people oppose this bill.
Let’s Speak Out Together for Our Health – and Our Lives
NZDSOS is preparing a submission, but it is going to take all of us to let the government and whoever the prime minister is, know that the people of New Zealand oppose this bill and if it is passed it will hurt them in this election year.
While you’re with your MP, why not mention the WHO’s plan to impose health controls on us via the IHR, and that many of us are dying and injured from the jabs, especially the young. They need to know that we know.
Readers that have followed my weekly columns and books will be well aware of how I have combined gardening with health.
I know that naturally grown vegetables and fruit will be very beneficial to your health and well being and when you add all the 114 known minerals to the growing media then the same food plants will be super healthy and taste so good.
The minerals can be obtained from using Wallys Unlocking your soil (minerals from rocks) Wallys Ocean Solids (Minerals from the blue waters of the ocean) and Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL which is minerals from prehistoric times).
The most benefit from your produce is obtained by eating raw or only lightly cooked.
The fast way to obtain maximum goodness is by converting healthy foliage into a drink we call ‘smoothies’
This is achieved with a very high speed blender which smashes the molecules of the plant material used allowing for easy assimilation into your body when you drink the green liquid.
Take the leaves of edible plants such as lettuce, carrot tops, celery, wheat or barley grass, silverbeet etc.
There are also a number of weeds that are edible such as Puha or Rauriki, dandelion and Stinging nettles.
Every plant has some beneficial properties even ones that are not normally eaten.
For instance there are about 3 or 4 different coloured carrots you can grow and each one has their own health benefits.
I always add a banana to my smoothies as it gives a nice palatable flavour.
We know that for thousands of years people in different areas of the planet learnt about plants growing in their area which they could use for their health and medical purposes.
I read one time that there is a plant or plants some where on the planet that will cure any ills of humans; in some cases we just have not found that plant yet or have the knowledge of how to use it.
Much of the pharmaceutical medicines was originally found through the old remedies of various plants people had used for generations.
The original chemists had jars of all sorts of dried plants and minerals which they would use to make up the concoctions that added recovery from sickness.
We hear about Chinese medicines, Indian medicines and even Maori medicines most of which were derived from locally grown plants and herbs.
A problem arises as Big Pharma cannot make money out of natural remedies as they cannot be patient. So if you know your herbs and herbal lore the poor pharmaceutical companies are not able to take your money with their concoctions.
Recently we saw during the holiday break our beloved Govt once again trying to implement a bill to ban the traditional use of herbs and plants for your well being. This is their third attempt at doing so and again removing another of your rights to be able to treat yourself and look after your own heath.
The Therapeutic Products Bill replaces the Medicines Act 1981 and Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985 with a comprehensive regulatory regime that is (said to be) fit for the future.
Labour having failed twice in the past to pass legislation because of public outcry are using a different tact to make it happen..’The Bill establishes a new regulator within Manat Hauora – Ministry of Health, headed by an independent statutory officer,
with a wider remit than the medicines regulator Medsafe.’
This person can deem any plant, herb, fruit and vegetable as beneficial to your health and thus ban the use of it, the growing of it and the import of it.
The only benefit of this has to be for the pharmaceutical companies and removes our freedom of choice to take what is traditionally safe natural remedies to what are often not safe pharmaceutical medicines.
In 2017 Labour opted for a prohibited list of 300 common herbal ingredients.
More well know on these included Aloe Vera, Comfrey, Belladonna, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Snowdrop, Juniper, Mustard, Worm wood, Cinnamon, Almond, Grapeseed, Ipomoea, Neem, Eggplant, senna and Valerian.
Many of these plants, herbs and spices like Cinnamon, Mustard are currently sold in shops. So how on earth did they get onto a prohibited list?
The answer lies in attempts to gain control of our food supply.
Natural products that are beneficial to health cannot be patented, but synthetic copies can be.
To make this work, the products that grow in gardens need to be banned.
Already I see Senna which is a natural aid for constipation is not easily obtainable in NZ.
Labour and the Ministry of Health did not make this list up, the list was supplied by the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) of which Medsafe is a member.
ICMRA is largely funded by the pharmaceutical industry whose interests they serve.
If we wish to be able to continue to freely chose herbal medicines and supplements without government interference, we will need to speak up.
Write to your MP and complain that the appointment of a regulator amounts to an open ended blank cheque to control the use of products used by more than 50% of our population without fully specifying the principles he should use.
Many of us do not realise what uses there are for many plants we grow in our gardens and while researching for this article I discovered https://medicinalseedkit.com/kit/
Have a look, I was amazed the wealth of information that is there.
For instance Chicory : This is the wild plant that Native Americans used to look for more than any other.
They’d harvest and use chicory to make a natural painkilling extract for a wide range of physical discomforts, especially stiff and achy joints. And so can you!
The root is rich in chicoric acid (CA), a plant compound with potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties but no risk of addiction.
If our pharmacies ever run dry, having even a small patch of chicory growing in your own backyard will provide relief. There are many more such as:
Chamomile – The Natural Antibiotic
Evening Primrose – A Natural Remedy for Skin and Nerves
California Poppy – Better Than Sleeping Pills
Feverfew– Nature’s Aspirin for Fevers and Migraines
Knowledge is power over your destiny and well being and it should never be taken away from you by Government regulations not in our interest.
I have on both counts and if you would like a copy of the email I sent to most of the Labour MP’s just ask and I will send you the copy.
You can alter it to suit and use it in your words to the MP’s.
If enough people complain then you maybe we will be still able to still grow your lemon tree (good for colds).
No more broccoli (Some kids will be happy) as it is a great source of antioxidants and may enhance your health by reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, boosting immunity, and promoting heart health.
Why Is Broccoli a Superfood? fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium.
The list goes on.
Phone 0800 466464 Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz Shar Pei pages at www.sharpei.co.nz Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:
1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)
2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)
3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)
4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)
Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion. This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)
VIDEO AT THE LINK (Transcript below, note the transcript refers to some products that are not named but are pictured in the video)
What does the public want?
The public are aware that research findings on diet, nutrition, and lifestyle indicate that there are proven health benefits.
Over 50% of the public use natural health products and alternative approaches to health care.
The public realise there are many traditional sources of information about what products can be used safely.
If an individual suffers from a chronic or serious illness, or simply wants to maintain health, they need to retain their options to research and choose the most effective treatment for them.
The new bill will regulate all natural health products that claim to benefit health.
This is an enabling bill. As a result, the government will appoint a regulator who will then decide for you what products can be sold and what health claims can be made.
Well, what will the regulator decide?
In 2016, the Ministry of Health published a draft list of 5500 approved and all restricted ingredients. Most likely, the decisions of the new regulator, when appointed, will be based on this list.
Let’s answer the public’s first question.
Are all these ingredients safe?
The 2016 Ministry of Health permitted list included 3000 synthetic and chemical additives.
A closer look shows that the permitted list includes many additives which are suspected of causing illness and cancer. Including:
FD&C red No. 2
Amaranth, No. 3
Erythrosine No. 4
Ponceau
All are banned in the USA by the FDA.
A 2007 study in the UK found a possible link between six food dyes, a preservative and hyperactivity in children. All these compounds are likely to be permitted by the bill.
Thousands of artificial fragrances and flavours have been approved, even though they have not been tested properly.
Here’s an example of a pre-approved synthetic product. This cheap popular drink is available in New Zealand supermarkets. All of its ingredients have already been approved by the Ministry of Health.
These include:
Sugar: which predisposes to obesity and aggravates diabetes
E330 Synthetic citric acid
Synthetic raspberry flavour, effects unknown.
E211 sodium benzoate: implicated as a possible cause of hyperactivity when used with E122
Colour E122 Carmoisine: banned in the United States, Sweden, Norway and Austria
Artificial sweetener E961 Neotame: similar to aspartame and banned in organic products. US FDA application noted adverse reactions. Dr. Mercola recommends this be avoided at all costs.
This bill will allow this synthetic product to be marketed as a natural health product.
We’re talking about serious health issues here. During the last 20 to 30 years, there’s been a huge expansion in chronic diseases, including cancers, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, depression, and other mental and physical illnesses.
No one knows the exact causes but poor nutrition food, food additives and environmental pollution are all suspected.
Over 2000 new chemicals are registered each year. There’s been a rapid expansion in the use of chemicals in food and synthetic chemicals. Many of these have been approved without sufficient scrutiny.
Using discredited principles such as substantial equivalence additives that are similar to but slightly different from natural compounds have been approved in though is well known that very small differences in chemical structure can cause serious side effects.
The bill requires the regulation of entirely natural ingredients already known to be safe, in other words, foods.
Under the bill, all ingredients have to be pre-approved. We estimate a supplier will pay $200 annually for each ingredient.
The probable minimal cost of making a health claim on the label will be $5,000 to the regulator for each application. And for each mild condition, your product claims to benefit.
But you will not be allowed to claim that a natural health product can benefit a serious health condition.
If it is considered that your product has therapeutic value, you will pay around $100,000 to register it as a medicine. And only a medical doctor will be allowed to prescribe it.
An EU report found that natural health products are 45,000 times safer than pharmaceutical drugs; Despite this, suppliers will have to comply with pharmaceutical style regulations and undertake frequent costly testing of ingredients and products.
Say you’re selling 300 product products to the public, and each one benefits two mild conditions; the application fees alone will be $3 million before you’ve even begun to prepare your evidence.
The experience in Australia has been that the preparation of a single application can cost in excess of $100,000.
These restrictions are so costly that most suppliers will simply refrain from making health claims, so you’ll have less information. Many will go out of business.
The net effect of these regulations will be that consumers will have less information than they did before.
Restrictions on scientific information regarding serious illness
Did you know that the simple kitchen spice turmeric is effective in preventing bowel cancer?
There are a lot of studies.
New Zealand has one of the highest death rates from bowel cancer in the developed world.
Studies show that garlic, ginger, turmeric, thyme, rosemary, sage, spearmint, and peppermint all inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.
A study found that 1/3 of patients with end stage bowel cancer for whom no other treatment options existed, improved after treatment with turmeric extract.
If the bill is passed, I would not be allowed to tell you this and could be liable for a substantial fine.
So there are restrictions on free speech
It has been proven for years that garlic benefits healthy heart conditions. No one selling garlic will be allowed to communicate this factual scientific information. Thereby the bill will restrict free speech and suppress matters of fact.
There’ll be restrictions on health claims
A consignment of this product, Vicks vapour rub, was seized by Medsafe. Officials in May 2016 and destroyed because the Label made this unapproved health claim:
Apply to the chest, throat, and back for 3-way relief from blocked nose, cough, and body ache.
Thousands of products could be snagged by this rule.
Restrictions on dose
In 2016 the Ministry of Health believed that the maximum daily dose of vitamin B 12 should be 50 micrograms. This product, vitamin B 12, is commonly used by people who are deficient. It has hit each dose 20 times the maximum daily dose specified by the Ministry of Health. So it could be banned.
A typical Indian or Thai meal may contain 50 grams of tamarind. The maximum daily dose of tamarind that has been permitted by the bill is 500 milligrams, that is 100 times smaller than the amount you might consume in a meal.
Civil servants have been employed to make up this ridiculous rule and hundreds more like it.
Banned ingredients
Even though this traditional coffee substitute contains only natural plants, it will be banned by the bill because it contains an ingredient that is listed under the medicines act.
A sort of reverse patenting that bans herbs if they are used to make medicines.
Hundreds of traditional remedies will disappear.
Neem is one of the world’s most revered traditional healing plants with many medical uses. Among its many uses, it reduces inflammation associated with internal ulcers. It’s so effective that pharmaceutical companies have tried to patent this plant.
The regulator is likely to classify this herb as suitable for external use only. Effectively banning its traditional use for no reason.
This popular form of vitamin C could be banned because it contains a derivative of lecithin (commonly used in chocolate and other supermarket products), which in 2016, was classified by the Ministry of Health as for “external use only“.
Restrictions on traditional Indian and Chinese medicine
The bill will empower the regulator to restrict the traditional practices of ethnic communities, and it will violate the Bill of Rights.
More than 150 commonly used Indian herbs and a similar number of Chinese herbs were wrongly placed on a not permitted list by the Ministry of Health in 2016.
To a large extent, this is because many traditional herbs have been found to be so healthy, that they have been used to develop medicines and therefore these ingredients will be restricted in natural health products.
There are more than 10,000 traditional healing herbs. It will cost more than $100 million to register their healing properties, so in effect, their use will likely cease in New Zealand.
Just look at this list. This is just a short extract from 300 herbs that the Ministry of Health sought to restrict in 2016. The last time they tried to introduce a bill of this type.
These are foods that we consume many of us regularly, why should they be restricted it doesn’t make any sense.
What will it cost you
And these restrictions are going to cost a lot. Last week a 50 gram packet of Rubia Cordifolia, a herb used to make healthy tea cost $12.
After the bill is passed, the same packet may cost 60 to $80, just due to the compliance clock costs.
There are over 100,000 eligible plants. It will take an army of civil servants years to classify even a small proportion of them.
Assessment costs will be paid by the manufacturing industry so the cost of natural health products will obviously rise dramatically.
What will escape regulation
Well, many unhealthy products will be allowed to be sold without regulation.
Sugary Drinks, hard fat, synthetic flavours, and alcohol will continue to be sold unimpeded….
while the government pours millions of dollars and years of fruitless effort into controlling products that are already known to be safe and healthy foods.
This would be ridiculous if it wasn’t immoral and criminal.
There is absolutely no need for the government to regulate natural foods that are based on DNA that are used in natural health products.
Natural foods and herbs should be automatically excluded from regulation. There is no need to do this.
Meanwhile, there is a crisis in healthcare
Medical misadventure, experimentation and interventions have just become the number one cause of death in the world.
Healthcare costs are spiralling out of control.
Mental illness has quadrupled.
Cancers, chronic diseases, heart disease, and many other conditions are increasing to epidemic proportions, all cause mortality is rising.
Clearly something has gone horribly wrong. But no one knows quite why.
There is no doubt that food additives and the drugs we take play a pivotal role in the development of disease.
There have been multiple failures in the regulatory processes which approve agricultural practices food and medicine.
How has this happened?
The process of regulation has moved away from science and becomes a cosy relationship between industry and regulators permitting unsafe and inappropriate products onto the market.
The bill, the proposed, bill represents a new phase of this cosy relationship. Regulators worldwide are cooperating to place restrictions on natural health products. And this will only benefit multinational companies.
What can we do to reverse this trend?
There is a scientific standard scientific approach to identify cause
Eliminate suspected causal factors and reintroduce them one by one.
Dr. Dee Mangin at Otago Medical School, has found that if you stop all non-essential medication for the elderly, their health improves.
Dr. Julia Rutledge at Canterbury University has found that greatly improved nutrition benefits children with ADHD.
Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, a renowned San Diego neurologist, has found that her patients, including MS sufferers, improved dramatically when placed on a traditional herbal diet.
These are just pointers to the many scientific preventive approaches to health care, which are springing up everywhere based on natural foods.
So why is our parliament planning to restrict natural health products?
We need to remind ourselves there is no evidence that natural health products are unsafe.
In fact, there’s a great deal of evidence that they benefit health and prevent illness.
Natural health products are traditionally made from plants and animal products which are based on DNA and natural minerals.
Our digestive system has developed to easily metabolise food based on DNA without side effects.
Many people rely on natural health products to maintain their health. It will be criminally negligent to restrict their options.
True natural health products are in fact foods.
There is nothing risky about their use.
Taking natural health products is no different from the need to have a balanced meal.
Food is life. It is our first medicine.
The healing properties of plants are proven to benefit public health. Our right to use them should not be taken away by law and transferred to pharmaceutical interests.
We are a people here who believe in fairness.
This is not the time for New Zealand to become involved in an international effort to subvert regulatory safeguards.
This is not the time to restrict access to preventive health care.
This is not the time to allow suspected unhealthy synthetic ingredients to be included in natural health products.
This is not the time to restrict access to herbs and impose huge unjustified costs on traditional medicine.
This is a time for New Zealand to lead the world in the development of application of preventive approaches to health care.
The therapeutic products bill is currently up for public submissions up until February 15, 2023. Make a submission here.
Ask your MP to review this presentation, which shows that the bill relies upon outdated and discredited ideas.
Or you can contact me directly at my email ghatchard@gmail.com or go to my website for more information. Thank you
Guy Hatchard, Ph.D., was formerly a senior manager at Genetic ID, a food testing and certification company (now known as FoodChain ID).
You have just over a month to make a submission folks. This is a time worn tactic… timing is everything. The ridiculous thing too is, some of these items are common cooking ingredients! And comfrey, well I’ve just recently been wondering why am I not seeing that useful plant as much as I used to. Do you really still trust your leaders? How does this move promote the health & well being of NZ citizens? It doesn’t. It promotes the interests of those folk who meet at Davos, currently seeking to force more of their ‘safe and effectives’ upon you. EWR
From hatchardreport.com
Natural Products Regulation—An Overreach of Government Control
Civilisations come and go through the ages. When governments empower people, they harness the intelligence and creativity of their citizens for the good of all; when they seek to control their populations, they fall into decline.
Following three years of pandemic control, governments are not stopping there. Here in New Zealand, the government has introduced the “Therapeutic Products Bill,” which will control how products which appear to benefit health are manufactured, prescribed, imported, advertised, supplied and exported. According to Health Minister Andrew Little:
“It will enable New Zealand to take advantage of advances in medicine, such as cell and tissue therapies, emerging gene therapies, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning software. Having risk-proportionate approval systems will improve access to necessary and life-saving medicines, such as vaccines in a pandemic.”
An important part of the bill aims to regulate the natural health products used by more than 50% of our population. This is the third attempt of the Labour Party to introduce extreme regulation of the public’s options to choose their medical care, supplements and diet. Their earlier two attempts failed because of vocal public opposition. In 2017 Labour opted for a prohibited list of 300 common herbal ingredients ( for some of these see photo):
Control of Our Food Supply
It won’t have escaped your notice that many of these like Cinnamon and Mustard are currently sold in shops. So how on earth did they get onto a prohibited list? The answer lies in attempts to gain control of our food supply.
Natural products that are beneficial to health cannot be patented, but synthetic copies can be. To make this work, the products that grow in gardens need to be banned.
Labour and the Ministry of Health did not make this list up, the list was supplied by the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) of which Medsafe is a member. ICMRA is largely funded by the pharmaceutical industry whose interests they serve. You can read all about it in my book Your DNA Diet, available as a Kindle from Amazon or a hard copy from the Hatchard Report.
Labour says it has learned from prior public opposition. This time the Bill will not name any prohibited ingredients. Instead is an enabling bill, the type of legislation made famous by Adolf Hitler. The Bill establishes a new regulator headed by an independent statutory officer with a wide remit:
The new regulator will be responsible for ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of natural products. It will design and implement proportionate, risk-based market authorisation pathways. Its functions will include, in addition to market authorisation, licensing controlled activities, post-market surveillance, and compliance.
These services will be funded through levies on the industry which are liable to be costly. Government regulatory schemes mooted in the last two attempts were likely to push small players out of the market due to the cost of compliance, as happened as a result of the Food Bill.
Crucially the Bill also includes a range of modern enforcement tools allowing for a graduated and proportionate response to breaches, including tiered criminal offences, strict liability offences, improved infringement notices and a civil pecuniary penalty regime.
In other words, the Bill appoints a new, as yet, unnamed regulator who is being empowered to do whatever he thinks fit to control the manufacture and availability of supplements. He could and is, in fact, very likely to publish a list of banned herbal ingredients soon after his appointment. The list is ready to go from the ICMRA database connected to Medsafe, courtesy of the pharmaceutical industry.
If we wish to be able to continue to freely chose herbal medicines and supplements without government interference, we will need to speak up. Go to this link to make a submission before February 15th. Write to your MP and complain that the appointment of a regulator amounts to an open ended blank cheque to control the use of products used by more than 50% of our population without fully specifying the principles he should use.
Potatoes contain vitamins, minerals, starch ….. eating potatoes fight cancer, increase glucose loading capacity, reduce plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels… Porous and dry soil helps potatoes grow well. Using old plastic paint buckets to grow potatoes is a great idea, it’s easy to make and saves money. You use 2 old plastic paint buckets, 1 of which you cut holes around 4 sides to later harvest potatoes, then punch holes for drainage. Next, you stack the old paint bucket that has been cut on the remaining one. It is better to plant the potatoes in the sand so that they germinate and then plant them in an old paint bucket After 3-4 months you can already harvest the first batch of potatoes and have a delicious and nutritious meal from the potatoes. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5T1TV Twitter: https://twitter.com/namtrinhhau Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ideas2034/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_ideas_…
Brown University researchers conducted a study to determine which micronutrients are best for your heart
They unveiled an up-to-date evidence-based map that quantifies the impact of micronutrients on cardiovascular outcomes
Out of 27 micronutrients, three — omega-3 fats, folate and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — came out on top
Omega-3 fats decreased mortality from cardiovascular disease, while also reducing heart attacks and coronary heart disease events
Folic acid, the synthetic version of folate, or vitamin B9, reduced stroke risk, while CoQ10 decreased all-cause mortality events
Most, but not all, of the micronutrients studied showed “moderate- to high-quality evidence” of reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S., killing one person every 34 seconds.1 Your diet plays a prominent role in your heart health, but the role of individual micronutrients continues to be debated. Brown University researchers conducted a study to determine which micronutrients are best for your heart.2
They unveiled an up-to-date evidence-based map that quantifies the impact of micronutrients on cardiovascular outcomes. Out of 27 micronutrients, three — omega-3 fats, folate and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — came out on top.
Micronutrients Benefit Cardiometabolic Health
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function optimally. Deficiencies in micronutrients can lead to a range of acute and chronic conditions. In terms of heart health, Brown University researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis involving 884 trials. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, evaluated 27 types of micronutrients used by 883,627 participants.3
“For the first time, we developed a comprehensive, evidence-based integrative map to characterize and quantify micronutrient supplements’ potential effects on cardiometabolic outcomes,” study author Dr. Simin Liu, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Brown University, said in a news release. “Our study highlights the importance of micronutrient diversity and the balance of health benefits and risks.”4
Most, but not all, of the micronutrients showed “moderate- to high-quality evidence” of reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Those that were beneficial included:5
Folic acid (folate)
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Zinc
Alpha-lipoic acid
Coenzyme Q10
Melatonin
Catechin
Curcumin
Flavanol
Genistein
Quercetin
The study was unique in that it took a comprehensive look at micronutrient supplementation, including phytochemicals and antioxidants. Liu explained:6
“Research on micronutrient supplementation has mainly focused on the health effects of a single or a few vitamins and minerals. We decided to take a comprehensive and systematic approach to evaluate all the publicly available and accessible studies reporting all micronutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidant supplements and their effects on cardiovascular risk factors as well as multiple cardiovascular diseases.”
3 Micronutrients to Support Heart Health
While beta carotene supplementation increased all-cause mortality, omega-3 fats, folate and CoQ10 were highly protective. Here are more details about how these important micronutrients affect your heart health.
1. Omega-3s — The study found omega-3 fats decreased mortality from cardiovascular disease, while also reducing heart attacks and coronary heart disease events.7 This mirrors previous studies, which have also found beneficial effects of omega-3s on heart health. Omega-3 fats derived from krill oil, for instance, have been found to reduce triglyceride levels and help reduce cardiovascular risk.8
Further, people with Type 2 diabetes who used omega-3 supplements had a lower incidence of hospitalization with heart failure — a form of heart disease in which the heart experiences ventricular dysfunction — in another study.9
An omega-3 index test is one of the most important annual health screens that everyone needs, and it’s a more important predictor of your heart disease risk than your cholesterol levels. Even research supported by the National Institutes of Health suggests an omega-3 test is a good predictor of overall health and all-cause mortality.10,11
That study measured the omega-3 index in 2,500 participants and found those with the highest omega-3 index had lower risks of heart problems and lower total mortality. The omega-3 index measures of the amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the membranes of your red blood cells (RBC). Your index is expressed as a percent of your total RBC fatty acids.
The omega-3 index has been validated as a stable, long-term marker of your omega-3 status, and it reflects your tissue levels of EPA and DHA. An omega-3 index over 8% is associated with the lowest risk of death from heart disease, while an index below 4% places you at the highest risk of heart disease-related mortality.
The ideal sources for EPA and DHA include cold-water fatty fish, like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring and anchovies. If you do not eat these fish on a regular basis, consider taking a krill oil supplement.
In addition, be aware that your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be about 1-to-1 or possibly up to 4-to-1, but most Americans consume far too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3. For optimal heart health, in addition to increasing your omega-3, it’s important to cut down on industrially processed seeds oils, often referred to as “vegetable oils,” found in most processed foods.
2. Folate — The Journal of the American College of Cardiology study revealed that folic acid reduced stroke risk.12 Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate, or vitamin B9, and it’s the most important dietary determinant of homocysteine. Elevated levels of homocysteine (Hcy) are a risk factor for coronary artery disease and are found in most patients with vascular disease.13 According to a literature review published in Advances in Therapy:14
“Several mechanisms have been proposed for Hcy’s pathogenesis related to vascular disease. Hcy can cause endothelial injury, dysfunction of DNA, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, oxidative stress, decreased function of glutathione peroxidase, impaired nitric oxide synthase, and inflammation.”
Evidence suggests that daily folic acid supplementation lowers homocysteine levels. “In fact, it has been shown that folic acid supplementation of 0.5 to 5.0 mg can lower Hcy levels by 25% and, thus, may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease … Given that folic acid is cheap and effective, this should be a viable option for patients with high-risk for cardiovascular adverse events,” the researchers explained.15
In an animal study, folic acid was also found to prevent age-related structure changes and dysfunction of the heart that may lead to heart failure.16 It reduced cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging. The best way to increase your levels of this important micronutrient is to eat foods rich in natural folate, such as asparagus, avocados, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and spinach.
3. CoQ10 — CoQ10 decreased all-cause mortality events, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology study.17 Ubiquinol — the reduced, electron-rich form of CoQ10 that your body produces naturally — plays an important role in the electron transport chain of your mitochondria, where it facilitates the conversion of energy substrates and oxygen into the biological energy (adenosine triphosphate, or ATP) needed by your cells for life, repair and regeneration.
It’s a fat-soluble antioxidant, meaning it works in the fat portions of your body, such as your cell membranes, where it mops up potentially harmful byproducts of metabolism known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). As such, ubiquinol and CoQ10 supplements help protect your mitochondrial membranes from oxidative damage.
Many conditions, including heart disease, appear to be rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction.18 CoQ10 is used by every cell in your body, but especially your heart cells. Cardiac muscle cells have about 5,000 mitochondria per cell.19 For further comparison, mitochondria make up about 35% of the volume of cardiac tissue and only 3% to 8% of the volume of skeletal muscle tissue.20
In other research, CoQ10 has been found to help improve atrial fibrillation (AFib).21 AFib is an abnormal, often rapid, heart rhythm that occurs when the atria, your heart’s upper chambers, beat out of sync with the ventricles, the heart’s lower chambers. It’s a common symptom in those with heart failure or heart disease. In addition, CoQ10 influences several other aspects of heart health, including:
High blood pressure — CoQ10 acts directly on your endothelium, dilating your blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.22,23 CoQ10 also decreases aldosterone, a hormone that makes you retain salt and water.24,25 When aldosterone goes down, excess salt and water are excreted through your kidneys, often causing your blood pressure to go down.
Systemic inflammation — Supplementing with 60 milligrams (mg) to 500 mg of CoQ10 for eight to 12 weeks can significantly reduce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP);26,27 three measures of widespread inflammation.
Stroke — Systemic inflammation, oxidative stress and nerve cell damage play a role in the development of stroke. Research suggests supplementing with CoQ10 can reduce ischemic lesions and improve outcomes in patients who have been treated with a statin drug after having a stroke (statins reduce CoQ10 levels in your body).28
Your body can naturally make CoQ10, but genetic alterations in metabolism, poor diet, oxidative stress, chronic conditions and aging can all interfere with CoQ10 production and lead to CoQ10 deficiency. Statin drugs can also deplete CoQ10.
Ubiquinol production ramps up from early childhood until your mid- to late 20s. By the time you hit 30, it begins to decline.29 Young people are able to use CoQ10 supplements quite well, but older people do better with ubiquinol, as it’s more readily absorbed.
A Personalized Approach Is Best
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to supporting your heart health. Indeed, the featured study researchers noted that “an optimal nutritional strategy to promote cardiometabolic health will likely involve personalized combinations of these nutrients.”30
However, healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction and heart-based connections — i.e., strong and positive relationships — are key to heart and overall health. As mentioned, I also believe an omega-3 index test is one of the most important annual health screenings you can receive.
GrassrootsHealth makes testing easy through its D*Action+Omega-3 consumer-sponsored research project.31 You can find the GrassrootsHealth omega-3 index test kit on the GrassrootsHealth website.32
When we buy plant foods or fertilisers for our gardens we see on them the letters N:P:K followed by numbers which indicate the amounts of each of these elements. The NPK stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
Nitrogen provides growing power and helps make plant leaves and stems green.
Nitrogen is used to form basic proteins, chlorophyll, and enzymes for the plant cells. In short, a plant can’t grow without it.
Phosphorus stimulates budding and blooming. Plants need phosphorus to produce fruits, flowers, and seeds.
It also helps make your plants more resistant to disease. Phosphorus doesn’t dissolve like nitrogen. The soil will hang onto phosphorus, not releasing it into water.
Potassium promotes strong vigorous roots and resistance to disease.
Potassium is a nutrient your plants need for good internal chemistry.
Plants use potassium to produce the sugars, starches, proteins and enzymes they need to grow and thrive. Potassium also helps your plants regulate their water usage, and better withstand the cold.
I believe of the three elements its the phosphorus that is least understood by some gardeners.
In the distant past phosphorus was obtain from manures especially bird or bat droppings called guano. Phosphorus was also obtained from Reactive Rock Phosphate which is a hard phosphatic rock.
In most soils it dissolves very slowly.
To make the rock phosphate more readily available to plants it was discovered that a process using sulfuric acid, early in the 1900’s,
would breakdown the reactive rock phosphate so a new agricultural fertiliser was created called Super or Super Phosphate.
It became a boon to agriculture and farming with tons of Super been spread to cause fast growth in fields and crops.
Unfortunately like a number of discoveries such as DDT and Asbestos, there was a hidden price to pay.
Super phosphate kills soil life and with their demise leads to unhealthy plants/grasses.
Not only that, it is now known that Super laden plants and grasses can cause health problems in stock including cancers.
(Chlorine and acidic products also destroy soil life including earth worms. Overt time through continued use soil becomes inert or lifeless)
I read a very interesting book some years ago called ‘Cancer, Cause and Cure’ written by an Australian farmer, Percy Weston.
Percy observed the results of the introduction of Super on his farm and the changes that occurred.
If you are interested the book can be obtained by mail order. The book made me reconsider the use of Super phosphate in garden fertilisers.
Interestingly I have never been an advocate of Super phoshate and to the best of my knowledge have never purchased it as a stand alone fertiliser for my gardens.
Though I have on odd occasions in the past used General Garden Fertilisers.
Fortunately I have always preferred sheep manure pellets, animal manures and natural products as my general plant food.
Now days I avoid using chemical fertilisers or chemical sprays including any herbicides anywhere on my property.
But I have noticed in the past, that even though I have obtained good healthy crops and plants, there is some factor that appears to be missing and the crops are not as lush as I feel they could be.
I have often thought that I am not getting sufficient phosphorus in my composts and mulches.
This caused me to do a bit of research on the Internet and found to my delight a company in New Zealand who make a product called BioPhos.
They take the rock phosphate and break it down naturally with micro organisms making it as readily available to plants as Super phosphate is.
The company sent me a email booklet and it showed trials that proved that not only did BioPhos work as well as Super, but actually better as it did not have a ‘peak’ growth on application and gave a much longer sustained release of phosphorus to plants.
Instead of killing soil life it actually supplies new micro organisms to the soil which carry on breaking the natural phosphorus down, meaning that only one application is needed per year unless you are cropping during the winter as well.
Some rose growers and rose societies recommend using BioPhos for better, healthier roses. BioPhos contains phosphate, potassium, sulphur and calcium at the rates of P10:K8:S7:Ca28.
It is pH neutral and used at the following rates; New beds work in 100 grams per square metre, the same with lawns but water in to settle.
Side dressing plants; seedlings 8 grams (a teaspoon full) around base of the plant or in the planting hole.
Same for potatoes (which do well with phosphorus) Sowing beans peas etc sprinkle down row with seeds.
Roses and similar sized plants 18 grams or a tablespoon full around plant or in planting hole.
Established fruit trees etc, spread at the rate of 100 grams per square metre around drip line or where feeder roots are.
Apply to vegetable gardens in spring and a further application in autumn if growing winter crops. Can be applied to container plants also.
Gardeners that use Biophos for the first time around their gardens often contact me tell how much their gardens have improved within a few weeks of using the product.
Maybe because the gardens are missing phosphate and a sprinkling gives the plants what they have been wanting.
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:
1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)
2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)
3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)
4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)
Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion. This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)
This post from garymoller.com is from 2019 … interesting what has transpired since then. Fourteen councils orderedby those ‘protecting’ us to fluoridate their town supplies. Better to allow those who want it to purchase it. EWR
Please take a few minutes to watch this video that appeared on TVNZ last night.
(Author disclosure: I have damaged teeth – dental fluorosis – due to excess fluoride during childhood. I guess that means I’m biased).
This is a robust study that has been published in one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world. It can not be dismissed as lightly as TVNZ’s experts have done. There are at least 50 earlier studies that support the findings of this latest study. The Bashash Study is one of these. Please read it then continue to read what I’m writing here.
At the end of July this year we had schools thrust into lockdown with alleged bomb threats and disturbing things happening within those schools – all in the name of protection. You can read about those at this link. Since then we’ve had an ear to the ground as they are a likely sign of things to come. The increasing number of incidents is confirming that.
It’s also evident that schools have been having the required practice drills in preparedness for an emergency of the kinds that occurred in July. Whilst it is good to be prepared, as with any fire drill, nevertheless these weapon or bomb type scenarios have the potential to be very frightening. It is well to discuss them with your children so they are prepared. A parent who contacted us this week after one of those imposed lockdowns in a Taupo high school on the 22nd said their child was shaken by what happened.
The message sent to parents of that school reads as follows:
Kia ora, on Police advice we have been asked to go into lock down as of 9:50am this morning. The incident is not school related and NOT on school site. Your children are safe and indoors currently. Please DO NOT come into school. Police will advise us when we can come out of lockdown and then I will email and text again. Signed by principal.
The parent who contacted us had also noticed other recent lockdowns around NZ. A quick search reveals there indeed have been four since the late July one. That is four in the short space of six weeks. There may be others however the ones our search revealed are as follows below. Notably one had also occurred in Taupiri on June 14th, 2022, so six weeks prior to the late July ones:
Police locate youth with BB gun, schools lift lockdown in Cambridge NZ Herald 19 Sep, 2022 11:25 AM Schools and early childhood centres in a Waikato town are now out of lockdown after police located a youth with a gun. A police spokesperson said Cambridge schools had been advised they could lift lockdowns following an earlier incident. “Police have located and are speaking with a youth, who was found to be in possession of a BB gun. “Officers have been stood down from the area.” Cambridge High School had issued a statement saying: “Because of police instructions regarding a local situation, the school has gone into lockdown.” “All students are safe in their classrooms and will remain there until the police give the all clear.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-locate-youth-with-bb-gun-schools-lift-lockdown-in-cambridge/4B73P57MLNOEOTWT75QQPRUWEQ/
‘Person of interest’ sighting prompts Taupō schools lockdown 22 Sept 2022 Several Taupō schools went into lockdown on Thursday after police said a “person of interest” was spotted on Spa Rd. The schools in lockdown include Taupo-nui-a-Tia College. In a written statement, police said they received a call shortly before 9.30am on Thursday reporting “a person of interest in Spa Road, Taupō”. “As a precaution a number of schools in the area were advised that police were conducting enquiries in the area – the decision whether to lock down rests with the schools,” a police spokesperson said. “Police made enquiries and were able to ascertain that no threat was posed and no offence had been committed.” https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/129960316/person-of-interest-sighting-prompts-taup-schools-lockdown
By way of example, below is a copy of notice of a lock down drill in one NZ school, posted by a parent who had expressed concern. In it note, it is possible parents will not be able to contact their children or pick them up, for reasons stated. This, understandably, is what concerns parents. Read NZ’s Department of Education statement about these lockdowns at this link. Today, the parent who made contact with us about the Taupo college incident said one girl had had a seizure during the incident and although the teacher comforted her, it’s alleged they were not allowed to call out by phone for outside help.
Kia Ora
This Friday during Tūhono time we will be running a lockdown drill. If you are around the college at this time you will hear repetitive short bells ringing, which is our signal for lockdown. We ask you to head into Te Manawa and follow instructions of staff if you are onsite at the time.
During a drill, classroom doors are secured and the students remain inside the room until instructed by the teacher to resume their activities. All exterior doors are locked and no one is permitted to enter or leave the building. Please note that in the event of a real lockdown situation this procedure will stay in force until police instruct us that it can be lifted.
In the future, should you hear of a lockdown or evacuation at the school, we advise you not to attend the school or phone as we will not be able to respond. Your presence or contact may make it more difficult for us or the emergency services to manage a situation.
Also note that during a lockdown it is likely that police will have access blocked until the situation is resolved. In all lockdowns we are advised by the police as to what actions to take.
Please note – it may not be possible to immediately notify parents of a lockdown in force. Police recommend we do not notify parents to avoid concerned parents arriving in the area making the police job more difficult.
Our emergency contact plan for parents and caregivers:
· Any information pertaining to an emergency occurring at the school will be updated on our Facebook and/or School App as regularly as possible.
· All students who are picked up from the classroom or evacuation points by parents or caregivers must be marked off on the class roll. All parents and caregivers must report to the office when picking up their children.
· Students are not to contact parents by cell phone or personal IT device unless given permission by their teacher.
· Parents will be contacted as soon as the lockdown is over.
Please contact me if you have any questions about our lockdown procedures.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our procedures.
Ngā mihi nui
This is not intended to scaremonger, however we are drawing your attention again to the Ministry of Education’s statement of rights in terms of your children that you may not be aware of. Perhaps read them again and contact your school to clarify possible scenarios before they happen, particularly with regard to your child’s and your own parental rights.
Note also, previous incidents in NZ reveal that our Police appear to be untrained in managing these frightening scenarios where children are involved. Read related below. It makes reference to the children in the Tuhoe raids in 2007 where children were seriously frightened by Police.
Little if any regard is given it seems to the fear they are inciting, leaving children traumatized and in need of counseling. Something to consider going forwards with this.
The International Health Regulation (2005) and the 75th World Health Assembly: Saved by Africa and BRICS Countries
Where We Are At – A Downward Trajectory
We are rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of the infamous inflexion point that divided our nation. The government has now done a U-turn on the vaccine and mask mandates and it is likely, given the pressure on New Zealand businesses, the private sector will follow, saving many the agonising decision of whether to inject themselves yet again with an intervention that does not prevent covid but may damage the immune system and potentially cause irreparable harm.
Reports from the UK show that it is progressing along a trajectory of recovery, at least with respect to the pandemic and its unprecedented measures. The picture seems more mixed in the other commonwealth nations and the United States. Here in New Zealand the recovery curve appears stunted as much of the population still hasn’t broken its entrainment and is oblivious to what is unfolding in the world at large.
We have seen a single revealing inconsistency that may signify a shift in the prevailing narrative. The sudden flurry of unsubstantiated and callow “hit pieces” which have been directed at prominent members of a community in search of scientific truth seems out of place. So why is it happening now? This is perhaps a sign that somewhere the message is starting to penetrate the façade. It’s a strange phenomenon watching journalists sacrifice their professional standards and journalistic integrity in the pursuit of character assassination at any cost.
The shallow, slanderous and vexatious attack directed at Dr Guy Hatchard has been a great disappointment and has once again confirmed that the media, irrespective of its shade, will only ask questions as long they remain within certain clearly demarcated boundaries. The brash and dismissive rhetoric of the offending organisation, while perhaps marketable, does little to answer important questions for the people of New Zealand. Its trademark tone and blunted lowbrow tenor are a poor substitute for the candid yet courteous discussions that once took place between inquiring minds engaged in the pursuit of truth.
Leveraging a Small International Concession at The World Health Assembly
While it is all too easy to focus on the downward trajectory of the last two years, it is at times important to reflect upon the small concessions that have been achieved as humanity pushes back against this leviathan.
In the weeks preceding the 75th World Health Assembly (22nd-28th of May 2022) NZDSOS wrote several articles placing the World Health Organisation (WHO) under the microscope and probing it’s funding mechanisms, agenda and prior indiscretions. Much of our discussion was focused on the pandemic preparedness treaty and the sweeping powers that could be granted to the WHO under its auspices.
The decision of the United States to advance the WHO agenda through its proposed amendments to the existing international health framework, the International Health Regulations (2005) brought a measure of urgency to the 75th World Health Assembly. In its submission the United States, proposed amendments to the following articles of IHR (2005). Articles 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 48, 49, 53, 59.
The proposed amendments carried a concerning common thread, in that they tended to confer a reduced consideration of the perspective of the affected state party in the event of a health emergency of international concern, placing them directly under the explicit guidance of the WHO. Given a little consideration, it easy to determine the mechanisms through which the proposed amendments might limit the autonomy and independence of signatory states.
Despite all of the build-up, the 75th World Assembly came and then went with little fanfare, an event without incident, conspicuous only in its absence from the reports of global media outlets. So, what was it that led to the muted reporting of such an important global event? The Washington Post had pre-framed the event with the expectation that it would be clouded by conspiracy theories, filtering its narrative through the tinted lens of partisan politics.
Certainly, concerns were raised about the competence of the WHO and the speed at which it is moving to consolidate its authority. It seems that these quite legitimate questions are being deterred through an orchestrated attempt to consign them to the realm of conspiracy theory.
While our western leaders did all they could to advance the agenda, the proposed amendments to IHR (2005) were opposed by Botswana speaking on behalf of 47 Afro nations. The African nations had reservations about the proposed amendments to IHR (2005), stating that the process should not be “fast tracked” and that any changes should be postponed and presented as part of a “wholistic package” at a later date. Malaysia and Iran also voiced reservations about the proposed amendments, while Russia and Brazil, of BRICS signalled an intention to leave the WHO.
It’s an important concession, as it has postponed the WHO’s rushed attempt to use its own chaotic pandemic response to consolidate its power. It has created breathing space and has provided a window of opportunity to raise awareness in preparation to oppose the more pervasive and definitive WHO pandemic preparedness treaty.
The Pandemic Preparedness treaty is currently in draft form and resides with an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB). It is anticipated that a progress report will be presented at the 76th World Health Assembly in 2023 and on the current timeline, the final outcome will be submitted for consideration at the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024.
We have a window, so let’s use it wisely, keep applying pressure and work on the alternatives required to furnish a world that is more suited to supporting the aspirations of humanity.
Music as Medicine is becoming a hot topic, even in some major hospitals, and is ever more important in a world in which the harmful effects of toxic drugs are more prevalent than ever before. The Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine (ISQRMM) is an organisation with a mission to provide researchers, practitioners, medical professionals and musicians with a forum in which to critically engage on the effects of music on the human mind, body and soul.
(NaturalHealth365) There are multiple risk factors for developing colon cancer. So what causes it? Over half of colorectal cancer cases are related to lifestyle factors, such as age, smoking, diet, and alcohol use.
Now, a recent study suggests a strong link between antibiotic use and colon cancer. Why is this the case, and what does it mean for your health? Most importantly, how can you reduce your risk of colon cancer?
Alarming study finds link between antibiotic use and colon cancer risk
A recent study from Sweden reveals a correlation between oral antibiotic use and the risk of colorectal cancer. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that people who took antibiotic courses had up to a 17% higher risk of colon cancer than those who did not.
People who took antibiotics for six months or longer had the highest chance of developing cancer. Still, even short antibiotic courses appeared to increase the chances of colon cancer. Disease risk was also location-specific.
Researchers found a higher cancer risk in the ascending colon, also known as the proximal colon, which resides on the right side of the abdomen. The ascending colon is the beginning of the entire colon. This means it’s the most exposed to everything that comes through the small intestine, including oral antibiotics.
Why do antibiotics increase colon cancer risk?
Since antibiotic use is so widespread, these findings are alarming. But the question is, what about antibiotics could be intensifying cancer risk?
The answer lies in the microbiology of the gut. To maintain a healthy balance, an entire microbiome of good bacteria lives in your digestive tract. And since antibiotics are made to kill bacteria, they can throw the gut microbiome out of whack. Good microbes usually keep harmful bacteria in check. But antibiotic use could contribute to the disruption of this natural order.
In turn, this could lead to detrimental inflammation in the digestive tract. For instance, when harmful bacteria can gain prominence, it can result in biofilm formation. Biofilms are structures formed when harmful bacteria join together within the colon wall. Ultimately, oral antibiotics can knock out the good bacteria in your gut. So although there’s no evidence that antibiotics directly cause cancer, there is a correlation caused by how these drugs affect your gut microbiota.
Any guide to growing kale will start out by telling you it is a cold weather crop, which tastes best after it has been touched by frost.
While cold weather may be kale’s preference, you can grow it during any season and in most climates. The flavor, output and duration from seed to harvest will change depending on the temperature, weather patterns, variety and soil condition, but kale is a hardy crop that is willing to adapt to our expanding desire for it.
With that said, it can tolerate temperatures as low as 20F degrees, but will start to turn bitter and become tough in temperatures over 80F degrees.
If you plan to plant from seed, you may need up to six weeks before your seedlings are ready to plant.
“RF-EMFs stands for radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, more commonly known as wireless radiation (the radiation emitted by cell phones, cell towers, WiFi routers, etc.). Not only does wireless radiation impact human health, but it also impacts #plants like #tomato#corn and #onion and plants.”
Review: Weak radiofrequency radiation exposure from mobile phone radiation on plants
ABSTRACT
Aim: The aim of this article was to explore the hypothesis that non-thermal, weak, radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have an effect on living plants. Subject and methods: In this study, we performed an analysis of the data extracted from the 45 peer-reviewed scientific publications (1996–2016) describing 169 experimental observations to detect the physiological and morphological changes in plants due to the non-thermal RF-EMF effects from mobile phone radiation. Twenty-nine different species of plants were considered in this work. Results: Our analysis demonstrates that the data from a substantial amount of the studies on RF-EMFs from mobile phones show physiological and/or morphological effects (89.9%, p < 0.001). Additionally, our analysis of the results from these reported studies demonstrates that the maize, roselle, pea, fenugreek, duckweeds, tomato, onions and mungbean plants seem to be very sensitive to RF-EMFs. Our findings also suggest that plants seem to be more responsive to certain frequencies, especially the frequencies between (i) 800 and 1500 MHz (p < 0.0001), (ii) 1500 and 2400 MHz (p < 0.0001) and (iii) 3500 and 8000 MHz (p = 0.0161). Conclusion: The available literature on the effect of RF-EMFs on plants to date observed the significant trend of radiofrequency radiation influence on plants. Hence, this study provides new evidence supporting our hypothesis. Nonetheless, this endorses the need for more experiments to observe the effects of RF-EMFs, especially for the longer exposure durations, using the whole organisms.
I don’t imagine NZ would be too different in terms of pollution. It’s known that we can no longer swim in many of our waterways and certainly our tap water frequently smells strongly of chlorine, a known carcinogen. Then there’s the fluoride and water testing, some have even found aluminum, barium & strontium in it. (Search categories for articles on water in NZ).EWR
For too many Americans, turning on their faucets for a glass of water is like pouring a cocktail of chemicals. Lead, arsenic, the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS and many other substances are often found in drinking water at potentially unsafe levels, particularly in low-income and underserved communities.
From the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Mich., to widespread radium pollution in Brady, Texas, the perils of unsafe water are finally prompting lawmakers and regulators to weigh how to act.
What’s needed is major new federal funding to improve drinking water quality, pay for much-needed lead line replacements, help disadvantaged areas and start to tackle the widespread PFAS problem that has made headlines across the country.
EWG’s landmark Tap Water Database shows how polluted drinking water can be, and why the efforts to fix it at the source are vital. The database collects mandatory annual test reports from 2014 to 2019, produced by almost 50,000 water utilities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
It reveals that when some Americans drink a glass of tap water, they’re also potentially getting a dose of industrial or agricultural contaminants linked to cancer, brain and nervous system damage, fertility problems, hormone disruption and other health harms.
And those risks likely increase in underserved communities, particularly those with higher Black or Latino populations. EWG’s research finds that people living in such areas might have a greater collective risk of cancer from the contaminants in their drinking water supplies than people in other parts of the country.
Why does this unacceptable situation persist? One reason is that there is not enough funding to help replace lead pipelines and clean up our drinking water. Another is that federal water safety standards aren’t keeping pace with the latest science on contaminants – some regulations haven’t been updated in more than 50 years, and the Environmental Protection Agency is not moving fast enough on new drinking water rules.
Ambitious efforts to safeguard the water we drink must achieve that goal for every American.
It’s easy to be pessimistic about whether that idea is realistic, given that Flint is in its seventh year of the lead catastrophe. Yet an increased focus by Congress on drinking water funding, the rising and necessary role of environmental equity, and firm commitments for improvements by those with the power to make them happen all provide reason to be hopeful.
May is the traditional month when new seasons strawberry plants become available in garden centres.
The nurseries that grow the plants lift them after the autumn rains have moisten the soil sufficiently, then they are distributed to garden centres.
In seasons when the growing beds remain too dry then the plants are not lifted till later, making for late plantings.
I find that the sooner you can get your new strawberry plants into their new beds the better results you have in the first season.
Like all things planted it is root establishment that is so important.
When planting place about a teaspoon of Wallys Unlocking your soil in the planting hole with a pinch of BioPhos for each strawberry plant.
Alternative is broadcast the label amounts over a bed when preparing for planting.
Gardeners with existing beds of strawberries will likely have a number of runners that have rooted in nicely, these can be used for new season plants..
If the existing strawberry bed is not congested with old and new plants and there is ample room still for all the plants to grow and produce,
then you can get away with not lifting the runners or only lifting those that are too close to existing plants.
Strawberries are easy to grow and can be grown in open ground or containers.
In open ground the most practical way is to make a bed with wood surrounds 16 to 20 cm tall and have a hinged frame over the bed that has either
plastic bird netting or wire netting over the lid.
The whole frame needs to only sit on the soil so it can be moved if required.
If using tanalised timber for the surround then after cutting to size; paint all the wood with a couple of coats of acrylic paint to prevent chemicals leeching into the soil.
Strawberries can be grown in troughs about 16 to 20 cm wide and similar depth then as long as required. I like to hang these off the top wooden rail of a fence.
Special strawberry planters made from clay or plastic are not very good and your results are likely to be poor.
(Thats the types where plants are placed in holes around the container as well as on top.)
Polystyrene boxes with holes in the bottom are also ideal containers for good crops if they have a rooting depth of 15cm or more.
The growing medium should be a good compost such as Daltons or Oderings to which you can add untreated sawdust and a little clean top soil or vermicast.
(Worm casts from a worm farm)
A mix of about 75% compost, 20% sawdust and 5% vermicast is good value.
Mix the above in a wheelbarrow then place a layer of the mix 5 cm deep in the base of the trough or container.
Now sprinkle a layer of chicken manure, some potash, BioPhos, Wallys Unlocking your Soil and Ocean Solids. Horse manure is also very good.
If you do not have chicken manure available use sheep manure pellets and blood & bone.
Cover with more compost mix to a depth suitable for planting your new strawberry plants.
A similar process can be applied to a open bed with a frame, though the frame height may need to be taller than previously suggested.
Ensure that the soil at the base of the frame is free of most weeds and then place a layer or two of cardboard over the soil. This will help prevent weeds from coming up in the bed, then fill as suggested. There are a number of different varieties of strawberry plants available to the home gardener, newer varieties such as Chandler, Pajaro and Seascape and Albion which I especially favour..
The Albion strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa “Albion”) is known for its fruits, which have a uniformly conical shape, bright red color, reliable firmness, and surprisingly sweet taste.
Albion strawberry plants grow quickly to about 12 inches (30.5 cm.)
Different varieties will do better or worse in different climates so choose the ones most suited to your area of the country.
Strawberry types include:
Strawberry Baby Pink ™ Producing stunning beautiful pink flowers followed by small to medium red fruit with sweet traditional flavour. Large bunches of berries ripening over a long period.
Habit – Compact strong growing strawberry. Size – Give these small to medium plants close spacing.
Pollination – Self-fertile. Unknown if short day, neutral or long day type.
Strawberry Camarosa; Large to very large medium dark red fruit. Firm medium red flesh with excellent flavour. Conical shape.
High resistance to wet weather. Habit – Suitable for Northern and Central districts. Vigorous growth habit.Size – Give these vigorous plants wide spacing.
Pollination – Self-fertile. Short day type – flowers are initiated by short day lengths.
Harvest – Fruit ripen 20-35 days from flowering depending on climate, with light crops in early summer, followed by a main crop in December – January. Yield is very good.
Strawberry Chandler; Small to very large medium red fruit. Firm light red flesh with very good flavour. Conical shape. High resistance to wet weather.
Habit – Suitable for Northern and Central districts. Multi-crowned growth habit.
Size – Give these multi crowned plants medium spacing. Pollination – Self-fertile. Short day type – flowers are initiated by short day lengths.
Harvest – Fruit ripen 20-35 days from flowering depending on climate, with light crops in early summer followed by a main crop in December – January. Yield is very good.
Strawberry Sundae ™ Large red fruit with excellent flavour. Firm red flesh in an oval shape.
Habit – Suitable for Northern and Central districts. Vigorous growth habit. Size – Give these vigorous plants wide spacing.Pollination – Self-fertile.
Short day type – flowers are initiated by short day lengths.
Harvest – Fruit ripen 20-35 days from flowering depending on climate, with light crops in early summer followed by a main crop in December – January. Yield is average.
Strawberry Supreme ™ Very large bright red fruit. Very firm red flesh with excellent flavour. Conical shape. Good resistance to wet weather.
Habit – Suitable for Northern and Central districts.
Moderately strong growth habit. Size – Give these small to medium sized plants close spacing.
Pollination – Self-fertile. Short day type – flowers are initiated by short day lengths.
Harvest – Fruit ripen 20-35 days from flowering depending on climate, with light crops in early summer followed by a main crop in December – January. Yield is very good.
Strawberry Temptation™ Medium bright red shiny fruit with excellent flavour. Pale firm flesh.
Habit – Compact strong growing strawberry. Tough and resilient in relation to pest and diseases.
Size – Give these medium plants close spacing.
Pollination – Self-fertile. Only NZ bred Day Neutral strawberry which means they will set fruit regardless of how long or short the days are making this an ideal fruiter national wide.
Will extend the North Island season. Harvest – Consistent high yields of berries ripening over a long period from October to March.
To enhance your strawberries and increase the crop yields by 200 to 400% drench the bed with Wallys Mycorrcin after planting and repeat again in a couple of months time.
Spray the plants with Mycorrcin soon as planted and then every two weeks till end of season. Add Magic Botanic Liquid to the Mycorrcin Spray.
An occasional monthly spray of Wallys Perkfection will help prevent dry berry (Downy Mildew) and other diseases.
For bigger berries you may like to try Wallys Secret Strawberry Food. End
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NOTE: The majority of our health, CV, VX related posts are now found at truthwatchnz.is … all recent posts can be found there at ‘featured’ (main menu, top of page) … EWR
epicgardening.com Ginger is a powerful, anti-inflammatory herb that has been used in the culinary world since centuries. The ginger plant forms from a rhizome that grows into a dainty, little flowering perennial. If you want to add flavor and beauty to your food garden, growing ginger is an absolute must.
Ginger has numerous health benefits and has been used as a medicinal herb since the 16th century. The plant offers quick relief from indigestion, nausea, and can ease common cold and flu symptoms. Truly, ginger is an all-purpose, versatile herb that deserves a place in your garden.
Read on for our in-depth guide on how to care for and maintain ginger plants!
So many flowers are not only beautiful but also completely edible, adding color and flavor to salads, soups, pastas, drinks, and desserts. In fact, in ancient times, flowers were grown more for scent and flavor than looks alone. Here are 15 edible flowers that are also easy to grow.
For centuries, humans have foraged or cultivated flowers and flower buds for food, drink, and medicine. Think of squash blossoms in Italian food, chamomile or jasmine tea, and rose petals in Indian food. Some are spicy, and some herb-y, some are fragrant. All are colorful.
Flowers You Can Eat
We’re seeing a renewed interest in edible flowers. There are hundreds of common wild and cultivated plants with petals and buds which are edible. Not only are these flowers pretty in the garden, but they will add color, diversity, and new flavor to your meals.
Environmental Health Watch NZ 
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