Perception of the Truth

The principles of excellent health are consistant and founded in the Scriptures. (See Gen. 1:29). However, science is ever changing its views—in fact, it is gradually coming along side God's principles. But there are many players involved in the public's health-education or awareness process. Indeed there is science, but there are others—the government agencies, pharmaceutical giants, the gargantuan meat industry, food processing and manufacturing interests....and finally, the media. "Objects may appear closer than they actually are!" By the time a nugget of information reaches the individual consumer it has been through an array of filters and spins such that we are taught what the interested food conglomerates and pharmaceuticals wants us to perceive as truth—though it may be miles from the actual truth. Indeed, the "truth" becomes completely distorted and we can lose our perspective.

What's the Point?

Our goal in providing Health Alerts is to provide you with as much un-filtered information as possible, and to keep you aware of the latest health warnings as well as scientific findings, as best we can provide. If you are aware of a pertinent health article for consideration on this web page, just send it to: webmain@modernmanna.org.

The Headlines and Stories:

Special Report: Anthrax: What Should You Do?

Mad Cow Disease: Counting the Cost: January 24, 2001—(CNN)—Since it was identified in the mid-1980s in Britain, mad cow disease, or BSE, has resulted in the slaughter of millions of cattle—and the deaths of dozens of people from the related brain-wasting disease known as vCJD. Mad cow scares have since spread across Europe as governments try to cope with possible infections and resultant fears… (Full Story...)

Modern Manna Report: Cannibal Cows!

Mad Cow Variant found in Sacramento Hospital (Full Story...)

Special Mad Cow Disease Video Reports...

More Mad Cow Disease in the news...

The CBC Special Report: Mad Cow Disease: The Science and the Story...

The Ultimate Mad Cow Disease Resource: mad-cow.org

Could Mad Cow Reach America?: March 3, 2001—ABC News 20/20 Investigation—Some Scientists Worry the U.S. Is Not Taking Protective Measures—Across Europe, hundreds of thousands of cows and bulls suspected of having mad cow disease have been ground up and stored in huge mounds in airplane hangars—still infected and dangerous to humans. Others are being incinerated but the ashes themselves are contaminated....(Full Story...)

Cannibals to Cows: The Path of a Deadly Disease: March 12, 2001—NEWSWEEK—Mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has killed nearly 200,000 British and European cattle since it cropped up on Pitsham Farm. The human variant has claimed 94 lives as well. What few of us realize is that these tolls could mark the beginning of something vastly bigger. No one knows just how BSE first emerged. But once a few cattle contracted it, 20th-century farming practices guaranteed that millions more would follow...(Full Story...)

Betrayal of Trust —Is the way we inspect our meat flawed? SPECIAL DATELINE NBC REPORT April 9, 2001—DATELINE NBC—You know the problems Europe’s been having with its meat. Have you been wondering how safe is the beef here at home? The good news is, there is no mad cow disease in the U.S. The bad news? There are other problems with American meat—problems that can make you sick, even kill you. That’s why “Dateline” joined forces with The Washington Post for a 10-month long investigation of the American meat industry. What we found may shock you. It will almost certainly make you think twice before ordering your next burger... (Full Story...)

What Have They Done To Our Food? SPECIAL CBS 60-MINUTES REPORT March 13, 2001—CBS NEWS 60 Minutes II—Scientists Engineer Corn With Gene To Kill Pests. Add A Flounder Gene To Tomatoes To Withstand Cold. But Consumer Advocates Ask If U.S. Regulation Is Too Lax. How much food at the supermarket is the product of gene splicing? Up to 70 percent of processed food in the American market contains products of genetic engineering, including soft drinks, catsup, potato chips, cookies, ice cream and corn flakes...Arpad Pusztai, 70, a respected Hungarian biochemist, poses a challenge to the flowering ambition of the biotech industry. He says genetically modified food has moved into the marketplace far too quickly. Pusztai is still lecturing audiences about his three-year project, which was funded by the British government, where he fed rats normal potatoes and bioengineered ones. Pusztai says the rats that ate the genetically engineered potatoes suffered unusual thickening of the lining of the stomach and intestine and a weakening of the immune system. Part of his work was published by The Lancet... (Full Story...)

Mad Cow: Can It Happen to U.S.? December 21, 2000—WIRED NEWS—BERLIN—Europe's ongoing panic over mad cow disease shows no signs of easing up, which raises the question: Could this happen in the United States? So far, there have been no reported instances of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the United States, and strict measures are in place to make sure that remains the case. Whether other related ailments—that is, other diseases grouped under the heading transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)—could pose a risk remains open to interpretation. John Stauber thinks Americans have a lot to worry about. He is co-author, with Sheldon Rampton, of the November 1997 volume Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen Here? available via Common Courage Press. "People in the United States should be more than worried," Stauber said. "They should be very angry that the U.S. government is covering up the risks of mad deer and mad elk disease to hunters and to those who eat venison products. And also that our regulations in the U.S., with regard to feeding slaughterhouse waste to animals, are inadequate... (Full Story...)

U.S. government to issue first standards on organic foods December 20, 2000—(CNN)—The U.S. government was expected to hand down national standards on organic foods Wednesday. The new rules have been in the formulation stages for 10 years. The Organic Foods Production Act was passed as part of the 1990 Farm Bill, but an initial proposal was substantially reworked after extraordinary public comment was received. Standards were expected to be released at a news conference Wednesday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. The rules govern all aspects of organic food production, from seed selection to the nurturing of plants, harvest and preparation... (Full Story...)

Egg fans uneasy about FDA's 'No over easy' advice December 8, 2000—Atlanta, Georgia (CNN)—So you order your eggs sunny-side up? Like to sop up the runny yolk with a nice thick piece of toast? Stop right there. The U.S. government says your breakfast is all wrong. "You just need to cook your eggs thoroughly—no sunny side up, no over easy," said Dr. Jane Henney, FDA Commissioner. "This is a case when it's better to be safe than sorry." Because high temperatures kill salmonella bacteria, the Food and Drug Administration has recently ordered instructions on cartons of eggs telling consumers to cook them "until yolks are firm." But federal health authorities admit this is going to be a hard sell... (Full Story...)

As Mad Cow Disease Spreads in Europe, Consumers Panic New York Times: Paris, Nov. 30, 2000—It is not only the French who are in a frenzy about mad cow disease. A panic that began here several weeks ago has now spread throughout Europe. In Germany, a hot line set up to answer questions from the public about the disease collapsed because of too many calls. In Italy, celebrities have gone on television to offer their favorite vegetarian recipes. And in Athens, angry butchers threatened to close their shops unless they were assured that the meat they were selling was safe... (Full Story...)

Behind Europe's Frenzy: A Disease That Affects the Brain New York Times: Nov. 30, 2000—Mad cow disease, known to scientists as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is believed to be caused by aberrant proteins called infectious prions, which affect the brain, leaving it with spongelike holes. It is believed that cattle originally contracted the disease by eating feed made with tissue from sheep infected with a related neurological ailment, scrapie. People are believed to have contracted the disease from eating infected beef... (Full Story...)

Is Milk Kosher? Observant Jews, Muslims, and vegetarians eat no pig, or so they believe. The information in this column is going to provide one very sad surprise for those who drink milk. I recently attempted to learn the source of Vitamin D-3 by calling dairy processors. I called the United States Department of Agriculture. I called my own New Jersey State Department of Agriculture. I called dairy industry professors and editors of dairy magazines. Not one individual could give me the answer. Finally, I learned about an industry conference called the Vitamin D workshop. I have subsequently learned that Vitamin D-3 can come from four different sources: Pig skin, sheep skin, raw fish liver, and pig brains. Most of the time, Vitamin D-3 is extracted from pig skin and sold to dairy processors. (Full Story...)

Health fear Over GM Cattle Feed Key DNA fragments can enter the human food chain, reveals research by Commons committee. London Observer: Sunday October 15, 2000—Large fragments of genetically modified DNA could be entering the human food chain, according to findings of a key Government committee obtained by The Observer. An independent study by the Advisory Committee on Animal Feeding Stuffs reveals that alien genes used by scientists to modify crops are surviving the manufacturing process which turns GM crops into animal food... (Full Story...)

'Frankenfish' or Tomorrow's Dinner? Washington Post: October 17, 2000—Fortune, Prince Edwards Island– Amid the winding coves and family farms that grace this northern island sits an unassuming, dimly lit warehouse. Inside, dozens of large plastic tubs roil with fish as water pumps hum and the smell of the ocean fills the air. It's a decidedly low-tech spot, but a technological revolution is underway. The first animals genetically engineered for American dinner plates are being raised here—salmon spliced with genes that make them grow two to four times faster than nature's best. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing an application to sell the fish, a decision that will likely influence the fate of scores of other biotech animals being brought to life in dozens of similar labs around the world for humans to eat... (Full Story...)

Corn Woes Prompt Kellogg to Shut Down Plant Washington Post: October 21, 2000—The Kellogg Co. has been forced to shut down production at one plant because the company could not find corn guaranteed to be free of a genetically modified grain approved only for animal consumption, food industry sources said yesterday. The shutdown was the most visible evidence of the problems that have been confronting the U.S. food industry since officials discovered that the genetically engineered corn had been widely distributed throughout the country, industry officials said... (Full Story...)

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