Rant: GMO, gut disease, inflammation, and the great USofA

Happy Monday! I feel like the last 48 hours are a blur and a dream…I’m officially a college graduate and beginning the next chapter of my life – a 23-year-old still trying to change the world, become the healthiest person I can be, and to appreciate all the little blessings in my life. This past weekend, I had an amazing time with my family and friends.

And when it rolls back around to Monday morning, and I check back in to reality, and I’m not feeling 100% great (lots of sugar, cheese, white bread, and less water, veggies, and fruits)…I decide that May 1st will bring about a month of hot yoga – every single day. I’m going to go for my own 30 day challenge. Starting today, as I’ll be out of town as of May 31st (more on this very soon), I’m going to go to yoga every day. I’m still going to try to keep up with running too – just don’t want to push myself too much.

Anyway – back on to the rant. At the bottom of this post, there will be a lovely video that I highly suggest watching. It is a little long (about an hour) but so worth it. It highlights a lot of aspects of GMO foods – health concerns, bad science, market prevalence  legislation, policies in other countries, influence on kids, and what we can go – so if you have a little time – watch it, share it, enjoy it, PLEASE.

Some highlights:

  • In 1992, the FDA set a precedent that GMO foods are safe and can be used in consumer goods. However, in 1998 there was a leak of internal documents that showed there was not research to back up the safety of GMO foods and scientists actually proved it was unsafe.
  • Many scientists refer to the industry conducted research as “Tobacco Science” – highlighting the ways in which Big Ag acts similar to Big Tobacco in the 1970s…blaming problems on personal responsibility instead of their harmful product
  • Michael Taylor was involved in the FDA back in the early 90s, when these precedents were set, and then worked for Monsanto, and now he’s back at the FDA and holds the Food Safety Czar job…and there are tons of examples of the revolving door between Big Business and the Feds.
  • GMO food increase in consumption is correlated with increases in digestive issues, inflammation, mental health issues, birth defects, allergies, etc.
  • Big Ag, just like Big Tobacco plays up the aspect of personal responsibility, while downplaying the role of industry in the market, not to mention manipulative labeling and advertising. We could also ask if corporations should be held personally responsible as well, considering they are individuals in the eye of personal freedoms.
  • A lot of research funding in public universities, across the nation, are traced back to Big Ag…and scientists tend to lose their jobs if they attempt to expose the downside of GMOs.
  • “We’ve all been blissfully ignorant” – a quote from a mother, during the Kids and GMOs segment
  • What can happen? As many more developed nations are banning GMO – multinational food corporations are making changes – referred to as “the tipping point of consumer rejection” because GMOs become “marketing liability” and thus are removed from the formulation and products are offered with NONGMO labeling (but not here in the USA)
  • Genetically Engineered attempts (that have been denied due to consumer rejection) – tomato, rice, potato, wheat, biopharmaceuticals (vaccines in food), alfalfa, landscaping grass, and HOPEFULLY salmon! <—- SIGN THIS PETITION

Please enjoy the movie. Share with friends, family, coworkers, school administrations, doctors, WHOEVER – just get the word out that there is proof that GMOs are hurting us. We deserve to know.

Until next time, eat well, be pure, love yourself & others <3

Lymphatic System Cleanse – and a healing crisis

Hi All – it has been too long since I’ve updated this blog…but I’m doing it today so I can have a memory of this experience.

Last week, I started a lymphatic system cleanse from my company – Universal Formulas – and I’m taking 9 capsules of Lymph-Flo per day, along with cutting out caffeine, sugar, processed foods, most animal proteins, and dairy. On Saturday, I started to feel a little sick…and still am, but I was convinced it was the flu, until I read up on what a healing crisis was.

Now, I really think I’m having a healing crisis – which is great news! I hope that after I complete the cleanse, I’ll be a new person – energetic, happy, and healthy! Not that I wasn’t before, but just an improvement from what I was before cleansing. I’ve had swollen lymph nodes since I was 8 or so…and never have done a lymphatic system cleanse before. I did a full body cleanse last year and didn’t have a healing crisis, but noticed a lot of great benefits.

Since I started cleansing, I haven’t had any problem staying away from the caffeine – I feel energized and ready to go with out it! Which is a definite blessing in my life. I have been eating pretty well, as always, but have reduced my dairy and animal protein intake a lot. I wish I had a juicer, as I feel like that would really help my healing crisis. But I also haven’t had a big appetite, so I’m only eating small amounts of food.

I’m achy and have pretty heavy congestion in my lungs…with a bad, wet cough, and pressure in my ears. I’ve been drinking Echinacea tea, taking Vitamin D3, and sleeping a lot (but I wake up at 4am everyday, not by choice). I had been breaking out pretty bad leading up to the cleanse, but now my face is clearing up. I took a break from hot yoga, it has been a week since practicing, but I decided that I’m going this afternoon, after work. If I can’t do the full practice, I will at least lay on my mat and enjoy the warmth and the sweat. I’m going to treat it like a “sauna” and detox through expelling toxins out of my body.

I also read that you should not wear a bra for 12-hours per day…which is awesome! At first I thought it was a joke, but it really does make sense. Bras, especially with underwires, probably limit the ability of circulation to the body…so I’ll be happy to follow that rule!

Another interesting article I read, was that the achy-ness I’m experiencing in my back may be from my spine readjusting during the healing crisis – wouldn’t that be amazing! If I finish this cleanse and I don’t have back aches/tightness anymore, I’m going to jump for joy and tell EVERYONE I know to cleanse their lymphatic system.

That’s all for now – I’ll update again once the healing crisis is under control and I’m back and feeling better than ever :)