Tag: health

RFK Jr. Moves to Cut Soda from List of Approved Food Stamp Purchases – Pay Attention to Who Is Fighting Him on It

If HHS Secretary and healthy food advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his way, SNAP will stand for Soda Not Allowed Period.

On Friday, Kennedy brought his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign to West Virginia, where Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that he will be seeking permission from the Department of Agriculture to put soda on the list of items that cannot be bought through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to by its former name of food stamps, according to The Washington Post.

“Taxpayer dollars should be targeted toward nutritious foods,” Morrisey said.

Kennedy issued a full-throated request for states to copy Morrisey’s lead.

“I urge every Governor to follow West Virginia’s lead and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP,” Kennedy said in a statement, according to Newsweek.

“If there’s one thing we can agree on, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower income kids. I look forward to inviting every Governor who submits a waiver to come celebrate with me at the White House this fall,” he said.

Waging a SNAP war on soda is opposed by Valerie Imbruce, director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College.

“Controlling how the poor eat is a paternalistic response to a problem that is not based in SNAP recipients’ inability to make good decisions about healthy foods, it is a problem of the price differential in choosing healthy or junk foods,” she said.

“Soda and candy are much cheaper and more calorie dense than 100 percent fruit juices or prebiotic non-artificially sweetened carbonated beverages, thanks to price supports and subsidies by the federal government to support a U.S. sugar industry,” she added.

The soda industry was also miffed, the Post noted.

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CBD Mouthwash Helps Reduce Oral Inflammation And Prevent Plaque Biofilms, Study Finds

Newly published research suggests that mouthwash containing cannabidiol (CBD) and another botanical extract could be a useful tool for promoting oral health, controlling bacteria and reducing inflammation.

The report, published late last month in the journal Clinical Advances in Dental Medicine and Oral Health, involved 40 patients using a mouthwash containing tea tree oil, CBD oil and spilanthol, a fatty acid extracted from the Acmella oleracea plant. Authors noted growing interest in CBD and spilanthol as natural ingredients in mouthwash products.

Compared to a mouthwash containing only tea tree oil, the CBD-infused product was significantly more effective at reducing plaque buildup and oral bleeding—chief symptoms of gingivitis.

Researchers also found that the CBD/spilanthol mouthwash maintained “homeostasis of the oral microbiome, thereby reducing the levels of bacteria that can affect periodontal health.”

The findings stand to benefit more than just oral health, authors noted, writing that inflammation in the mouth “has been demonstrated to correlate with the health status of the entire organism.”

“Prolonged, unaddressed inflammation, instigated by plaque bacteria and their interaction with the host immune system,” the paper says, “results in the deterioration of the supporting tissues of the teeth, as well as elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, which in turn, increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and complications during pregnancy.”

In the study, participants who had oral inflammation and demonstrated what’s called “bleeding while probing” (BOP) showed a “significant reduction in BOP index values,” researchers observed.

They noted that CBD and spilanthol share characteristics that appear to help address oral inflammation and bleeding.

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THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT: Capitol Hill Lawmakers Drop Disturbing Details Allegedly Revealing the Dire Health Issues and Behavior of Many of Their Colleagues

We all know how poorly members of Congress behave and represent the American people, but now lawmakers are dropping damning information allegedly revealing how dire the situation on Capitol Hill really is.

As TGP readers know, several members have shown multiple signs of cognitive decline, and there are two glaring examples that immediately come to mind. The first is late California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Feinstein held onto office despite being so diminished mentally that she had no choice but to give up power of attorney to her daughter as the New York Post notes. Then, in December 2024, Texas GOP representative Kay Granger was found in a dementia care home last year after going missing from Congress for six months.

This is on top of the numerous falls we have seen from other elderly politicians like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) told Politico that up to a dozen of his colleagues are in advanced stages of cognitive decline and have no clue what they are voting on.

“There’s no question that somewhere between six and a dozen of my colleagues are at a point where they’re… I think they don’t have the faculties to do their job,” he revealed.

A Republican lawmaker who withheld his name agreed with Himes that dementia on the Hill was a problem and added this:

“I have a difficult time sometimes telling between the deterioration of members and a handful who are just not very smart.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) dropped even more disturbing information to Politico: members of Congress are showing up drunk and high as they go to vote.

“I’ve seen one Republican who, unfortunately for you, has to go unnamed, show up drunk a number of times,” he said. “There were one or two Dems I thought might be high on something but not drunk.”

Himes added that most members were rarely sober when they cast late-night votes, though he had never witnessed anyone extremely drunk.

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Study: Majority of EBT-Eligible Food Products Are Ultra-Processed

We’ve all been there: you’re waiting in the checkout line at your local Save money. Live better™ Walmart, or wherever fine groceries are sold, and in front of you is a family of four — all obese if not morbidly so — with a cart chock full of Dr. Thunder (Walmart’s Dr. Pepper knock-off) and Hot Pockets and stuff like that.

“EBT,” they say when the cashier reports their bill.

Then you realize — with a disparate mix of revulsion, empathy, and helplessness — that you have just subsidized their slow-burning suicide and the homicide of their equally fat children.

One advocacy group recently attempted to quantify this phenomenon.

Via GoCoCo (emphasis added):

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has come under increasing scrutiny for how its benefits are spent. Critics point out that the program may be “encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food” rather than nourishing them with wholesome options. This concern prompted us to conduct a detailed investigation into the foods eligible for purchase with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards (which deliver SNAP benefits) at one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers…

Our analysis of more than 13,000 SNAP-EBT eligible products reveals a stark nutritional reality. The vast majority of items that SNAP recipients can buy are highly processed. Notable findings include…

62% of EBT-eligible products studied are ultra-processed foods…

Nearly half (47%) of the products contain artificial flavorings…

8% of products contain additives that are banned in California or in California schools…

Over 160 products contain Red Dye No. 3, which has been recently banned by the FDA.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons this mass-scale human tragedy is allowed to play itself out is the influence of big food lobbyists in Washington (and at the state level) who bribe politicians and policymakers to include ultra-processed foods manufactured by mega-corporations like Nestle, Coca-Cola, et al. in the EBT program.

Often, these lobbyists go as low as weaponizing accusations of racism against anyone who objects.

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Teens Who Eat Ultraprocessed Foods Have Lower Muscle Mass

A revelation from recent research highlights that consuming higher amounts of UPFs elevates the risk of developing low muscle mass by 60% in young and middle-aged adults.

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, this study draws attention to the growing concern over UPFs infiltrating modern diets and their tangible impact on muscle health.

Low muscle mass, a key indicator of sarcopenia, is characterized by a significant reduction in muscle size and strength.

This condition not only limits your physical capabilities but also increases the likelihood of metabolic disorders and raises your risk of mortality. Maintaining adequate muscle mass is key for overall health and functional independence as you age.

The study analyzed data from 10,255 adults aged 20 to 59 and found that 7.65% of participants were classified with low muscle mass. Individuals in the highest quartile of UPF consumption derived an average of 55.7% of their daily calories from these foods, compared to 54.62% in those with normal muscle mass.

According to the researchers, “Our study underscores a significant linear association between higher UPFs consumption and an elevated risk of low muscle mass in adults.”

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will assume a NEW role in public health, could liberate children from the 77+ dose vaccine schedule

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in position to assume an important new role within the federal government, a role that has never been filled before. For the first time in U.S. government history, there will be a team of people – led by Kennedy – advocating for children’s health and pushing back against corporate propaganda. If there is ever going to be a time to understand the damage that has been done to American children regarding agrichemicals, food chemicals and vaccines, the next four years present the best opportunity for transparency and action on this crucial, long-ignored front.

Kennedy to face down multiple corrupt influences within the federal government

Kennedy and his team will be forced to combat many corrupt influences among the federal agencies, and he will be tasked with unraveling industry influence, while bringing transparency on these matters to the American people. In this effort, Kennedy will be gaining access to buried data and censored scientific studies on a range of issues.

While there are a range of issue to take on – including things like glyphosate, neonicotinoid pesticides, atrazine, PFOAs, PFAS, high fructose corn syrup, fluoride, food dyes and preservatives – one of the main issues on people’s minds is the childhood vaccine schedule. This is an issue that all new parents are confronted with, and they are often coerced into following the CDC’s childhood vaccine schedule.

The CDC’s current childhood vaccine schedule contains upwards of 77 doses of toxic aluminum, formaldehyde, animal cells, antibiotics, and sometimes mercury. The antigens in many of these vaccines are outdated and unnecessary for addressing the current pathogenic strains in the wild. Moreover, the intramuscular route of exposure for respiratory viruses does not provide adequate mucosal immunity and ignores T-cell mediated immunity.

Most damning of all, this childhood vaccine schedule includes multiple doses of the dangerously failed COVID-19 vaccine experiment! Even though all trust in the CDC has been destroyed at this point, parents are often guilted into subjecting their kids to this vaccine schedule, or they are derided as bad parents. They are told that their children will die without these vaccines, and pediatricians often refuse to care for families that don’t submit.

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The Crucial Connection Between Animal Feed and Human Health

In our modern quest for optimal health, we often focus intensely on what we put on our plates. However, there’s a crucial aspect of nutrition that often goes overlooked: the diet of the animals we consume. (What we eat, eats) This oversight can have significant consequences for our health, particularly when it comes to our intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

Consider this startling fact: conventional chicken is now the highest source of linoleic acid, an omega-6 PUFA, in the American diet. This means that a food many consider to be a healthy, lean protein source is actually contributing significantly to our overconsumption of PUFAs.

But it’s not just chicken we need to be concerned about. Pork, another staple in many diets, can be equally problematic. When pigs are fed a high-PUFA diet, their fat can have the same PUFA concentration as canola oil — a fact that might make you think twice about having several pieces of conventional bacon every single day for breakfast.

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PERCEPTION OF TIME CAN DRAMATICALLY ALTER THIS CRUCIAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESS, NEW STUDY REVEALS

New research from Harvard University shows that a person’s perception of time can directly affect how fast wounds heal.

Previous studies have hinted at a link between the mind and body, particularly in relation to stress and lifestyle. However, this study is the first to show a direct connection between the perception of time and the seemingly autonomous process of healing, opening up the possibility of incorporating time perception into the treatment of injury.

HEALING AND HUMAN PERCEPTION OF TIME

Published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, the study conducted by Harvard psychologists Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer aimed to determine if the rate of healing was independent of the psychology of the patient or if their perceptions could accelerate or decelerate the healing process.

“Based on the theory of mind–body unity—which posits simultaneous and bidirectional influences of mind on body and body on mind—we hypothesized that wounds would heal faster or slower when perceived time was manipulated to be experienced as longer or shorter respectively,” the researches behind the finding write.

As noted, previous work had found connections between recovery from injury and stress levels, with higher levels of stress potentially interrupting a healthy recovery from injury, but those connections were thought to be primarily physiological in nature.

The researchers also note that previous work studying psychological influences on chronic pain, emotion, and physiological health, and even placebo effects, particularly those involving administration of inert medications, “have led to meaningful improvements in treatments for a broad range of illnesses and injuries.”

Still, this latest study is the first to look at the mindset of the individual, specifically their perception of the passage of time, in relation to recovery rates.

“We hypothesized that experimentally induced wounds would heal faster when more perceived time had passed and heal slower when less perceived time had passed,” the researchers explain, “despite no differences in actual elapsed time.”

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Sickening Profits — The Global Food System’s Poisoned Food and Toxic Wealth

The modern food system is being shaped by the capitalist imperative for profit. Aside from losing their land to global investors and big agribusiness concerns, people are being sickened by corporations and a system that thrives on the promotion of ‘junk’ (ultra-processed) food laced with harmful chemicals and cultivated with the use of toxic agrochemicals.

It’s a highly profitable situation for investment firms like BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity and Capital Group and the food and agribusiness conglomerates they invest in. But BlackRock and others are not just heavily invested in the food industry. They also profit from illnesses and diseases resulting from the food system by having stakes in the pharmaceuticals sector as well. For them, it’s a win-win situation.

Lobbying by agrifood corporations and their well-placed, well-funded front groups ensures this situation prevails. They continue to capture policy-making and regulatory space at international and national levels and promote the (false) narrative that without their products the world would starve.

They are now also pushing a fake-green, ecomodernist agenda and rolling out their new proprietary technologies in order to further entrench their grip on a global food system that produces poor food, illness, environmental degradation, dependency and dispossession.

The prevailing globalised agrifood model is built on unjust trade policies, the leveraging of sovereign debt to benefit powerful interests, population displacement and land dispossession. It fuels export-oriented commodity monocropping and regional food insecurity.

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Take Nutrition Studies With a Grain of Salt

Comb through enough nutrition research, and you can find a study confirming or rebutting nearly every belief you may hold about how specific nutrients affect your health. “Meat Increases Heart Risks, Latest Study Concludes,” reported The New York Times in 2020. A year earlier, the Times ran this headline: “Eat Less Red Meat, Scientists Said. Now Some Believe That Was Bad Advice.”

Pick a different food group and find a similar contradiction. “Moderate Drinking Has No Health Benefits, Analysis of Decades of Research Finds,” reported the Times in April 2023. Two months later, Forbes declared: “Light And Moderate Drinking Could Improve Long-Term Heart Health Study Finds—Here’s Why.”

These headlines were not misrepresentations. Nutritional epidemiology is, by and large, what Stanford University biostatistician John Ioannidis calls a “null field”: one where there is nothing genuine to be discovered and no genuinely effective treatments exist.

“I think almost all nutrition studies that pertain to the effects of single nutrients on mortality, cancer, and other major health outcomes are null or almost null,” says Ioannidis. “Even the genuine effects seem to have very small magnitude in the best [and] least biased studies.”

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