Pacifica’s KPFA Bans Gary Null Interview on Vaccines

- By James Tracy - May 8, 2015

Network’s Flagship Station Falls in Lockstep Behind CA’s March Toward Mandatory Vaccination

Submitted by John Doe

On May 6th Gary Null was scheduled to appear on Bonnie Faulkner’s program Guns and Butter, regularly broadcast over the Pacifica Network’s flagship station KPFA in Berkeley CA. He was scheduled for the full hour to speak on vaccine efficacy and safety, and address issues concerning the California vaccine bills. The station censored Faulkner from doing the broadcast, Null’s producer and assistant Richard Gage reports. This is the first time Guns and Butter has been censored in 11 years.

The program is syndicated and airs on other land stations around the nation, and is particularly popular in California. KPFA and other Pacifica stations pride themselves in being the last bastions of free-speech and commercial free broadcasting in the nation. In fact, Null himself has hosts a daily program, The Gary Null Show, on New York City Pacifica affiliate, WBAI.

Yet the network has become increasingly controlled by ideologues with political agendas trumping the public interests it claims to champion. Anyone who wishes to file complaints to KPFA management and express the station’s disservice to California residents may do so by sending a brief email to either the general manager Quincy McCoy This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or better yet the station manager Laura Prives who was responsible for banning the broadcast, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

More here: http://www.gunsandbutter.org

Host Bonnie Faulkner and Gary Null must have been right over the target (California’s looming totalitarian elimination of personal exemptions from vaccinations), because the flak they took was KPFA’s shutting down their speech!

Contrast KPFA’s censorship of Null with the integrity of WMNF 88.5 FM (Tampa, FL), which recently broadcast a pro/con debate about mandatory vaccination. But guess what happened? The “pro” vaccination speaker cancelled on short notice. To WMNF’s credit, the station’s management went ahead with the broadcast, allowing a leading vaccination-choice attorney (Alan Phillips) to present his information.

Hazardous Chemicals In Cell Phones, Pizza Boxes, Backpacks Said To Be Health Threat

- By Amy Capetta - May 1, 2015

Think the only bad-for-you ingredient in this box of pizza is the pepperoni? Think again. (Photo: Getty Images)

Hundreds of environmental scientists have joined forces to begin a public campaign to urge countries around the world — including the United States — to limit their use of a class of chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs.

While one type of this chemical has been banned for years — studies had shown that the PFAS formerly found in Teflon products may have contributed to higher risks of cancer — scientists have reason to believe that the replacement PFASs could also be toxic.

And, according to the scientists, this is a huge cause for concern, since these chemical are found in thousands of products used in everyday life by millions of consumers.

PFASs enable objects to be resistant to high temperatures, ultimately increasing durability and in some cases, preventing fires in wiring and gauges found in vehicles such as cars and planes. A few of the other items that contain these PFASs include pizza boxes, sleeping bags, electronics (like cell phones and hard disk drives), as well as backpacks, footwear and even hospital equipment (it can be found in stents, needles and pacemakers, along with hospital gowns and divider curtains). A complete list can be found here.

Related: Why Ramen Noodles Could Cut Your Life Short

“Research is needed to understand the potential for adverse health effects from exposure to the short-chain PFASs, especially regarding low-dose endocrine disruption and immunotoxicity,” wrote the authors Linda S. Birnbaum, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program and Philippe Grandjean, from the Harvard School of Public Health, in an article published in the recent edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

“In parallel, research is needed to find safe alternatives for all current uses of PFASs. The question is, should these chemicals continue to be used in consumer products in the meantime, given their persistence in the environment? And, in the absence of indisputably safe alternatives, are consumers willing to give up certain product functionalities, such as stain resistance, to protect themselves against potential health risks? These conundrums cannot be resolved by science alone but need to be considered in an open discussion informed by the scientific evidence,” wrote the authors.

Related: Can Makeup And Cleaning Products Really Mess With Your Hormones?

However, the American Chemistry Council states that these chemicals were deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. “But we just believe based on the 10-year history of extensive studies done on the alternatives, that the regulatory agencies have done their job of determining that these things are safe for their intended uses,” Thomas H. Samples, DuPont’s head of risk management for the division that manufactures these chemicals, told The New York Times, posted below. DuPont is one of the lead manufacturers of this chemical.

“It’s likely they’re going to have some health effects, it just may take us a while to figure out what it is,” said Thomas F. Webster, a professor of environmental health at Boston University’s school of public health, also told The New York Times. “It might take five or 10 years to really do the research.”

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Commonly Used Chemicals Come Under New Scrutiny

 

- By ERIC LIPTON and RACHEL ABRAMSMAY 1, 2015

A top federal health official and hundreds of environmental scientists on Friday voiced new health concerns about a common class of chemicals used in products as varied as pizza boxes and carpet treatments.

The concerted public campaign renews a years-old debate about a class of chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs. After studies showed that some PFASs lingered in people’s bodies for years, and appeared to increase the risks of cancer and other health problems, the chemical manufacturer DuPont banned the use of one type of PFAS in its popular Teflon products, and other companies followed suit.

At issue now are replacement chemicals developed by those manufacturers and used in thousands of products, including electronics, footwear, sleeping bags, tents, protective gear for firefighters and even the foams used to extinguish fires.

The companies assert that the alternatives are safe and vehemently contest the scientists’ contentions, pointing to extensive studies conducted in the last decade or so.

But two separate salvos fired on Friday question whether enough research has been done to justify the chemical industry’s confidence in the safety of this crop of PFASs.

“Research is needed to find safe alternatives for all current uses of PFASs,” Linda S. Birnbaum, the head of the national toxicology program for the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in a commentary piece published Friday in Environmental Health Perspectives. “The question is, should these chemicals continue to be used in consumer products in the meantime, given their persistence in the environment?”

The journal, published by the National Institutes of Health, devoted several pages to the issue, with articles from researchers and from the industry trade group.

A statement signed by 200 international scientists — environmental health experts, toxicologists, epidemiologists and others — urged countries around the world to restrict the use of PFASs.

“We call on the international community to cooperate in limiting the production and use of PFASs,” the statement said.

In a counterpoint, the American Chemistry Council, the industry trade association, argued that the statement ignored the fact that such chemicals use “essential technology for many aspects of modern life,” and that tests, reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency, concluded that these alternatives were safer than the chemicals they were replacing.

The PFAS family of chemicals represents an important part of DuPont’s $34.7 billion in sales last year.

Thomas H. Samples, the company’s head of risk management for the division that manufactures these chemicals, rejected the scientists’ concerns.

“We don’t dismiss the right of folks to debate this,” Mr. Samples said. “But we just believe based on the 10-year history of extensive studies done on the alternatives, that the regulatory agencies have done their job of determining that these things are safe for their intended uses.”

This business sector, the fluoro-technology industry, is considerable and reached $19.7 billion in sales in 2013, according to the most recent estimate from the FluoroCouncil, a division of the American Chemistry Council.

This class of chemicals is known for its durability. PFASs have strong water-resistant properties. Cardboard pizza boxes treated with the chemicals, for example, stay sturdy even when grease seeps into them.

But some of these same features worry environmental health specialists because traces of the chemicals linger and have been detected in the bloodstream of a large segment of the population, although typically at low levels. In some cases, detectable levels of the older class chemicals have been declining as major manufacturers have developed alternatives they say are safer.

Some researchers cite lingering concerns about a chemical spill more than a decade ago. The health of residents of Parkersburg, W.Va., is still monitored related to a spill of an older form of PFAS from a nearby chemical plant. A class-action lawsuit accused DuPont, which owned the plant, of knowingly contaminating the residents’ groundwater, and the company faces new accusations, in a separate report being issued Friday by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, that it is not living up to the terms of a court settlement.

Mr. Samples, from DuPont, which is based in Delaware, disputed any suggestion that it was not complying with those terms.

But Dr. Paul Brooks, who helped conduct a study in the West Virginia case that found probable links between the chemical and health issues like thyroid disease and kidney cancer, said DuPont needed to do more to ensure that local residents were participating in the monitoring program. He said he was not convinced that the alternative chemicals that DuPont and other companies were selling would eliminate the health threat.

“When you have something that is a first cousin or brother-in-law to a chemical that we are certain is carcinogenic, you have to somehow prove that it is safe before you use it — that it is not injurious,” he said. “You just have to be cautious.”

Some environmental scientists point to a chemical called GenX as an example of a newer but questionable alternative. Some studies have linked GenX to short-term symptoms like eye and skin irritation in humans, as well as liver damage in animals. Mr. Samples, of DuPont, which manufacturers GenX, said that the tests involved exposing animals to levels so concentrated that they were intended to cause health complications. He also said the chemical was used in industrial settings, not as an ingredient in consumer products.

Still, environmental and health specialists are urging consumers to avoid products containing PFASs “whenever possible.”

“It’s likely they’re going to have some health effects, it just may take us a while to figure out what it is,” said Thomas F. Webster, a professor of environmental health at Boston University’s school of public health who was an author of a paper seeking more scrutiny of PFASs. “It might take five or 10 years to really do the research.”

Correction: May 1, 2015

An earlier version of a picture caption with this article reversed the identifications of the two men shown. Dr. Paul Brooks was on the left and Joe Kiger on the right.

How Dr. Robert Graham Is Changing Patients’ Lives, One Cooking Class at a Time

- By Jeff O'Heir - April 28, 2015

Dr. Robert Graham teaches medical residents how to cook nutritious vegetarian dishes for themselves and their patients. Photo: Dr. Robert Graham

The basil, rosemary, dill, and thyme on Lenox Hill Hospital’s rooftop garden in New York recently sprouted. But the seeds Dr. Robert Graham planted are delivering more than just herbs. Gradually, they’re helping to produce healthier patients and, as unbelievable as it may sound, nutritious hospital food that actually tastes good.

Graham, director of resident research at Lenox Hill and the new director of integrative health and wellness for the hospital’s parent organization, North Shore-LIJ Health System, is one of a growing number of doctors and healthcare workers throughout the country emphasizing a diet of whole, plant-based foods to help prevent and treat chronic diseases. As a director at one of New York’s largest health care systems and a frequent speaker at health and food conferences, Graham is helping to shape the nationwide conversation around his favorite theme: food as medicine.

“This whole ‘pill for an ill’ won’t work for these chronic illness,” Graham said, as he walked along the dozens of planters filled with herbs and micro greens that will eventually make their way into the roast chicken, pizza, salads, and side dishes the New York City hospital serves to its employees and patients. “Instead we have to address them through lifestyle choices. That really starts with food. You start with food and you can change everything.”

Before it became the Victory Greens rooftop garden, this is where the Lenox Hill Hospital staff used to come for smoke breaks. They now come to relax and pick fresh herbs. Photo: Dr. Robert Graham

Lenox Hill’s rooftop garden, in its second season, is just one of Graham’s initiatives. He’s working to set up small gardens at North Shore LIJ’s other 18 hospitals, and has plans to eventually establish a local micro-farm that will help supply the system’s kitchens. He gained national media attention for starting an ongoing series of cooking classes that teach medical residents – a group generally known for its bad eating habits and worse cooking skills – how to cook nutritious meals. Late last year he developed a similar class, “Food Is Medicine,” for the system’s veteran doctors.

The residents and doctors, who take the classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, are expected to pass along the cooking skills and nutritional information they learn with patients who suffer from among the most prevalent and preventable chronic diseases: obesity (almost 40 percent of Americans), diabetes (30 million, 86 million with pre-diabetes), high cholesterol, and hypertension.

Graham’s program is not alone in terms of connection how food impacts the health of the body. There are groundbreaking programs like Tulane School of Medicine’s Goldring Center For Culinary Medicine, the 16,000-square foot green rooftop and gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the St. Luke’s Rodale Institute organic farm in Eason Pa., which provides produce for the St. Luke’s University Health Network.

Graham’s teaching concept at is based on studies that show doctors who follow a healthy lifestyle are more likely to prescribe healthy lifestyle choices to their patients. Graham modeled the classes on those taught at the annual Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference, which bridges nutrition, healthcare and culinary arts.

“Patients don’t get satisfaction by taking pills. Patients get satisfaction by seeing real results made through lifestyle changes,” Graham said, referring to integrative medicine’s holistic approach of dealing with illnesses by helping patients maintain a healthy body, mind. and spirit.

Basil and other herbs from Victory Greens make their way into some of the salads, soups and pizzas served to Lenox Hill’s staff and patients. Photo: Dr. Robert Graham

To help spread Graham’s message to the front-line workers who prepare the food for the hospital’s staff and patients, Michael Kiley, director of nutrition and dining services at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., set up similar cooking classes for chefs, nutritionists, and administrators. The techniques and ingredients they learn about – baking with bean-based flours for gluten-free dishes or substituting tofu for cheese – eventually find their way to the hospital’s menus. “We’re always surprised to learn how comforting, satisfying and filling vegetarian and vegan meals can be,” Kiley said.

When the hospital revamps its menu next spring, patients will find that their traditional hospital fare – turkey tetrazzini; mystery meats covered with thick, equally mysterious sauces; green Jello – replaced by dishes created with locally grown vegetables, herbs, and fruits, as well as lower-sodium soups and fresher salads

“By supporting our chefs, our causes, our cooking classes, Robert creates a shared passion,” Kiley said. “He makes it contagious so that everyone feels the same way he does about the issues. It shows that if you’re passionate about something, other people will want to take the lead.”

The Natural Gourmet Institute teaches North Short LIJ residents, doctors and staff how to cook vegetarian and vegan dishes like this kimchi stew. Photo: The Natural Gourmet Institute, Facebook

Graham’s philosophy is part of the healthy eating trends – driven mainly by consumer demand – that are changing how large institutions, fast food restaurants and other players in the food industry cook, source, and produce food. In many cases the health care industry has been slow to adopt those trends.

“I’m blown away when I see the explosion of places like Fresh and Co and Chop’t and these big institutions that feed a lot of people healthy, nutritious food each day,” he said. “I think hospitals can also do it.

“I think we have to start developing a new way of feeding people in our hospitals,” he said. “A very simple way of doing that is cooking better, wasting less, and eating more nutritious foods that actually taste good.”

Hungry for more vegetarian and vegan dishes that actually taste good?

Don’t be afraid. Try these vegetarian dishes at your next party.

Vegetarian includes desserts, too. Make this baklava.

Roasted cauliflower is always good. But as good as this?

We know most hospital food absolutely sucks. Have you had any that’s actually good? Visit our Facebook page and let us know.!