A Genetically Engineered Future

Are we approaching a future where “organic” as we know it will no longer exist?  Is it also possible that the world food supply could be controlled by one company? We seem to be heading that way as the use of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) seed grows in popularity. These crops are already in our food supply and being fed to livestock.

I read a lot of articles and looked at many resources looking for information to complete my last Blog post, and a name that I am very familiar with kept popping up, Monsanto. Perhaps it is just because "someone has to do it", but Monsanto has been connected to many dangerous products in its long history. Things like saccharin, DDT, Agent Orange, PCB's and nuclear weapons. Monsanto on Wikipedia   

As I said, I am very familiar with the name Monsanto. I spent twenty three years in the dairy industry in retail distribution, with time spent in my early years driving a farm tanker on weekends picking up bulk milk, and I became very familiar with the battles over rBGH.  

If you explore the internet for Monsanto related articles, you can find a lot of disturbing information on contamination, poisoning, intimidation, law suits, ect. Of course "the truth" is in the eye of the beholder or in this case, the eyes of the writers. I try to keep an open mind when it comes to what I read, based on what I know about business and the world. What I am somewhat familiar with are the lawsuits over promotion of milk that was not produced with Monsanto's rBGH, because of implications through marketing that milk produced by cows treated with rBGH was inferior or unsafe. Monsanto was very aggressive in its fight against the Dairy industry over labeling and marketing that had the potential for cutting into their profits. It appears that the farming industry has faced Monsanto's wrath for even longer, according to many articles like this one from 2008, Monsanto's Harvest of Fear, which continues to be referenced by many because the author provided so much information that if true, is cause for concern on many levels.

As you explore the internet, you can find a lot of articles referencing a fear that has continued in the farming industry.  You can also read about how farmers desperate to make a profit to feed their families, have been turning to GE seed and those who don't, find themselves dotting i's and crossing t's to protect themselves from the "seed police".  

On one side, you can understand Monsanto's interest in protecting its company from theft through unlicensed use of GE seeds and unfortunately, some "bad seeds" have given them good reason to have concern. I can also see the need to solve the worlds potential food shortage, as the worlds population continues to grow at an alarming rate.  But I also see this as a potentially bigger problem that began the day when the first GE seeds were approved for use. That is because of the lack of or limited studies used to gain approval.  


For us who lack the understanding of these complicated technologies, we must rely on published studies and our government to protect us. But, what happens when those published studies contradict the safety of those technologies and our government continues to make questionable decisions and create questionable policies? Almost as if they are being manipulated by big corporations. If you believe the articles written about the latest Monsanto triumph in deregulation of RR Alfalfa, you have to wonder about the future of our ecosystem, plant life as we know it,  animal health, the effects of GMO’s on humans and... Are we approaching a future where “organic” or “natural” as we know it, will no longer exist? 

One company that is still holding on to its over 50 year commitment to produce products from “natural” ingredients, is Shaklee.  To insure that commitment, Shaklee conducts over 80,000 quality tests annually to guarantee purity and safety. For my family, and especially my little girl who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, Shaklee products give me hope for the future.

Terry Guinn, A Healthier You Too

Treat your family to the quality products they deserve. Shaklee products are always safe, always work, and are always green. If you would like more information about Shaklee products, please contact me, Terry Guinn, Shaklee Independent Distributor, through my website at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.com or if you would like to checkout the products for yourself, go to my Shaklee page at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.myshaklee.com 

Shakleebaby & Shakleekids

My Life as a Guinea Pig

"It's much easier to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission." It can also be less expensive!

Have you ever wondered if perhaps there is more money going into things that are creating health issues, then money going into solving or curing health issues?  That is not to say that anyone is intentionally using us as guinea pigs, creating health issues for profit... I hope!  This reminds me of a philosophy used by a past employer, who also made several unsuccessful attempts at becoming an elected official in politics. "It's much easier to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission." Could it be that big corporations use the same approach for new products? Assuming that it is much easier to fix a problem that "might" occur, if they can be proven responsible, rather than try to figure out the risks.

I have spent many hours tonight, today, this morning... What time is it anyway??? Trying to understand the concern over the deregulation of Genetically Modified (GM) alfalfa.  As if there is some reason that this is worse than GM corn, soy beans or anything else that is genetically modified. There are literally hundreds of articles, references, reports and studies on the subject. The best source, with many resource links, is, in my opinion, Wikipedia's "Genetically Modified Foods". I wish I had looked at this first, instead of last.  

The truth of the matter is that we have been consuming genetically modified foods since the early 1990's, without any useful studies being done prior to there release. I love this statement I found, quoted in Harvest of Fear from an article done by the Chicago Tribune on 9/3/2000, on Genetically Altered Foods: 

"Today the vast majority of foods in supermarkets contain 

genetically modified substances whose effects on our health 

are unknown. As a medical doctor, I can assure you that 

no one in the medical profession would attempt to perform 

experiments on human subjects without their consent. Such 

conduct is illegal and unethical. Yet manufacturers of 

genetically altered foods are exposing us to one of the largest 

uncontrolled experiments in modern history."

--Dr. Martha R. Herbert, pediatric neurologist

The reality of the risks and effects may never be proven, something large corporations may be counting on.  Given all the other environmental factors that effect our lives, how can it be proven that something like "corn" has caused an illness or a disease? Genetically modified corn or organic corn, many would argue that there is no difference. The battle to prove otherwise could take years to fight in the courts, before any action could be taken to prove responsibility for GMO's.  

I looked at many things over the past several hours, including genetics, epigenetics, proteolytic digestion, protein composition & digestive processing, and many other things that I could find to try and better understand the report done by the USDA on Roundup Ready (GM) Alfalfa, to allow deregulation.  

I will leave you to make your own decisions on GMO's (the link above from Wikipedia covers a lot of ground and the 2nd bullet below was the report used for deregulation of GM alfalfa), but here is just one more piece of information to consider. With the understanding that proteins might have an effect on genetics, and more specifically epigenetics that control expression of our genes/DNA which can be turned on or off like a switch:  

• 1st from FAQS  “because many plant proteins lack one or more... Incomplete proteins can, however, be combined... though combinations of incomplete proteins must be consumed at the same time... to obtain the maximum nutritive value from the amino acids."
•  2nd from the USDA, Glyphosate-Tolerant Alfalfa Events J101 and J163: Request for Nonregulated Status Final Environmental Impact Statement— December 2010  “family of EPSPS proteins that naturally occur in crops... that have a long history of safe consumption by humans and animals. Monsanto also explained... and (3) the CP4 EPSPS protein is susceptible to rapid proteolytic digestion in simulated gastric fluid.” Apendex Q, page 5, 1-3 Gene and Gene Product.

My take is that they count on weak plant proteins from GM Crops to be rendered useless in stomach digestion, but what I have found on the internet is that those weak or incomplete proteins can be made complete if consumed with other weak or incomplete proteins from other sources.  

And I didn't even touch on the potential soil and environmental impact! 

One thing you can be sure of is that Shaklee ingredients, including those used for their Alfalfa Complex, will not include genetically modified ingredients.  For my family, and especially my little girl who has Prader-Willi syndrome, Shaklee products give me hope for the future.

Terry Guinn, A Healthier You Too

Treat your family to the quality products they deserve. Shaklee products are always safe, always work, and are always green. If you would like more information about Shaklee products, please contact me, Terry Guinn, Shaklee Independent Distributor, through my website at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.com or if you would like to checkout the products for yourself, go to my Shaklee page at  www.ahealthieryoutoo.myshaklee.com 

Shakleebaby & Shakleekids