If you had a choice, would you eat Genetically Modified Organisms? Well the FDA and Monsanto don’t think you need that option. Jeffrey Smith author of Seeds of Deception was on Dr. Oz this week and since you already know how I feel about soy I wanted more up to date info. Did you know that 80% of all packaged foods contain GMO. The FDA does not require GMO labeling and requires no safety testing. GMO sounds so 21st century: bigger, better, cheaper but is it safe? Nobody really knows yet. Do you want to be their guinea pig? 85% of all U.S. corn, soy, canola and sugar beet crops are GMO and guess what almost 100% of the GMO seeds are produced by Monsanto who also product Roundup, a toxic pesticide. The GMO crops are engineered (by taking genetic material from virus’ and bacteria and inserting them in the soy or whatever) so they don’t die when sprayed with Roundup. Interesting that 6 European nations have banned GMOs. The scientists and consumers who are concerned about GMO’s worry about the side effects: endocrine disruptors, organ damage, < fertility, > allergies. Sounds like pretty good reasons to me to avoid soy all together, only buy organic, look for Non-GMO labeling and get the Non-GMO shopping guide at www.nongmoshoppingguide.com

I know of 7 (young) women ranging in age from 17 to 40 who’ve been recently “diagnosed” with thyroid issues. Thyroid problems are a common topic when women gather. What is the deal here? Although there are many possible reasons I can’t help but think that the pervasiveness of soy in our foods might have something to do with it. Soy is a phyto-estrogen. Soy is an endocrine disruptor and processed soy is everywhere, in almost every packaged food. I cringe when I hear young women say they are vegetarians because when I ask where they get there protein from, it’s inevitably a form of soy and to make matters worse, its all heavily processed and genetically modified to boot (approximately 90% of the US soybean production is GM).

Many experts believe that the health claims about soy are unwarranted. Quite simply, soy protein is not a health food, is not a panacea, and has not even been proven safe. Hundreds of studies link soy protein consumption to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown and even heart disease and cancer. I believe that the risks far outweigh any benefits. Please take the time to read food labels and check out http://blog.wholesoystory.com/ or http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/04/soy-dangers-summarized.aspx

In my opinion, both are just perfect the way they are and don’t need fixing but of course someone figured they could improve on them. If you haven’t read and seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, definitely make the time. But of course Hollywood is going to make a huge budget English version. And then there’s the little 3000 year old Ayurvedic Neti Pot which some mistake for Aladdin’s Lamp or a gravy boat. There is something much more appealing about a Neti Pot than that plastic Nasal Irrigator and plastic saline packets at CVS that is if you can call pouring warm salt water in one nostril as it runs out the other appealing. Kidding aside, our Neti Pot is in frequent use. Whether you have allergies, post nasal drip, sinus headaches, sinusitis or the beginning of a cold the Neti Pot could be your best friend. According to the CDC, sinus and nasal problems are the 5th leading reason doctors prescribe antibiotics and lead to over 15 million office and emergency room visits each year. If you don’t have one, a Neti Pot would be a wonderful holiday gift this season.

We are all limited by our own personal experience so as I write here I’m looking at things from my perspective, maybe yours too, maybe not. I once had business cards that said Watch Me Now as my work as it was evolving at that time was focusing on new things and not staying in a rut but then I found out it was a porn site (do not go there!). Then I thought Changing Health Perspectives was a good description of where I was going but the name was a mouthful and too many didn’t have a clue what it meant. So after setting lots of intentions over the years about what I wanted, especially a great one for getting a good night sleep (email me if you want to know what it is), I realized that good health and wellness are as much about intention, your intention to be well, as it is about what pill you take or what exotic fruit you drink. So Intentional Health it is.