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Update for WAPF Members- Jan 2009
Ongoing Cod Liver Oil Controversy
Several weeks ago we sent out an update on vitamin A and cod liver
oil to all our
members, in response to a negative article about cod liver oil by John
Cannell of
the Vitamin D Council. This update is now posted on our website at
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/CLOUpdateDec2008.pdf.
The important take-home message is that there is nothing in the new
study authored by Cannell and others to indicate any toxicity whatsoever
from cod liver oil; however, the authors have put a politically correct
spin on the findings in order to frighten people away from this life-giving
superfood and vector them into taking isolated vitamin D instead.
Now Dr. Joe Mercola has come out with his own anti-cod liver oil statement,
based on Cannell's study. What particularly concerns us is not the fact
that Dr. Mercola has a different opinion on the subject, but that he
has completely misrepresented the teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation,
stating that the Foundation believes ". . . there is sufficient
vitamin A in the diet of most Americans, especially if they are taking
a multivitamin."
The crux of our teachings at WAPF is that there is NOT sufficient vitamin
A in the
diet of most Americans, especially in comparison to the diets of healthy
primitive
peoples. Vitamin A was plentiful in the diets of primitive peoples because
they ate
the liver of sea and land animals, animal fats such as seal oil, candle
fish oil and
butter from grass-fed animals, and other rich sources such as fish eggs
and fish
heads. It is difficult to see how investigators can claim that vitamin
A is toxic
when traditional diets were so rich in this nutrient. As most modern
people do not
eat these foods, at least not in abundance, we recommend cod liver oil
to supply
vitamin A, as well as other fat-soluble nutrients.
Also, we have NEVER recommended multivitamins! We recommend nutrient-dense
food (such as cod liver oil).
Not all cod liver oils are created equal. It is important that cod
liver oil contain
sufficient vitamin D to balance the vitamin A content. Please visit
our cod liver
page at http://westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/cod-liver-oil-menu.html.
We are planning a long article on cod liver oil, including a point-by-point
rebuttal
of Mercola's statement, in the Spring 2009 issue of Wise Traditions.
In-Home Vitamin D Test
ZRT Laboratories now provides an inexpensive, in-home accurate test
for vitamin D [25(OH)D]. Normally this test is $100-$200 and requires
a doctor's visit. The ZRT test can be done at home and costs $65 (or
4 for $55 each) at the link:
http://www.zrtlab.com/Page.aspx?nid=12&action=
view&category=14&partner=VitaminD%20Council
You can order them through the lab directly, cost $135, by calling the
company in
Beaverton, Oregon at 1-866-600-1636.
The test involves collecting a few drops of blood after a finger prick
and sending
the blotter paper back to ZRT in the postage-paid envelope provided
with the kit.
Your results will be sent to you by mail in about a week.
We'd like as many members as possible to participate in some research
on vitamin D, which we will be able to use in our upcoming article on
cod liver oil. Please take
the ZRT test and send us the results along with the brand and amount
of cod liver
oil you are taking, as well as any other vitamin D supplements. Please
let us know
how long you have been taking these products. We'd like to compile this
information by early February. (We'll keep your details confidential,
of course.) This is the perfect time to do this research since few of
us are spending much time in the sun right now.
New Anti-Raw Milk Article
The journal Clinical Infectious Diseases has just published a very
unscientific
anti-raw milk article that ends with a most inappropriate threat. According
to the
authors, "physicians, veterinarians, and dairy farmers who promote,
or even condone, the human consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy
products may be at risk for subsequent legal action." The article
is a model of industry agenda posing as science. We have posted a detailed
response at
http://www.realmilk.com/documents/ResponsetoInfectiousClinicalDiseaseArticle.pdf
The credits for this article are most interesting. The authors thank
John Sheehan,
FDA head of dairy and egg safety "for valuable discussions on the
subject during the preparation of the manuscript." We have effectively
stymied Sheehan with our careful rebuttals of his official statements
(posted at realmilk.com). Funding in partial support of the article
was provided by state and federal funds allocated to the Ohio Agricultural
Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio. (In Ohio, cow share
programs are booming after an attempt by the Ohio Department of Agriculture
to criminalize them was defeated in court.)
Goodsearch.com
The Weston A. Price Foundation has begun to receive funds earned when
our members use goodsearch.com rather than the more popular search engines.
WAPF receives about 1.3 cents per search on the Yahoo-powered search
engine and about three percent of purchases made through their online
retail partners, from Amazon to Zappos.
You can help support the Foundation with every internet search or purchase.
Just go to goodsearch.com to register and select your charity, and then
use the search engine for your internet searches and purchases.
Raw Milk Number One at Change.org!
As we informed you in an earlier email, Change.org is a private website
that has a
section of their website devoted to voting for the top ten ideas for
change. We
encouraged our members to vote for "Legalize Raw Milk" during
the first round of
voting and this issue got the highest number of votes in its category!
We now have a second chance to vote for legalizing raw milk in individual
states and across state lines. If this issue is among the top ten ideas
in the competition, it will be presented to the Obama team and also
at a press conference at the National Press Club on January 16; further,
Change.org will then email information about our campaign to their 200,000
members.
DON'T WAIT! Please go to http://www.change.org/ideas/view/legalize_milk
and cast your vote for raw milk. If you have not yet joined Change.org,
you will need to do so-the process is very simple. Voting closes on
January 15.
Please get every member of your family to vote for raw milk and circulate
this
announcement to all your groups. Let's aim for tens of thousands of
votes for raw
milk and earn this fantastic publicity opportunity. We can do it if
everyone
participates.
Also Vote Against NAIS
And while you are casting your vote for raw milk, please also cast
your vote against the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
The link is
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_nais.
Let's send a strong message to the USDA against radio chipping of our
animals and registration of our farms!
A Raw Milk Event!
Midwest raw milk dairy farmer Max Kane, who credits raw milk with
saving his life,
is traveling across the U.S. powered exclusively by raw milk. You can
follow his
progress at www.therawmilkparty.com. He is raising funds to produce
a documentary on raw milk. He will end his odyssey in Malibu, California
at the home of Aajonus Vonderplanitz on Sunday, January 25, 2009.
Max will be toting a few glass jars and reloading his Raw Milk supply
as he travels
from farm to farm during his journey across the nation. Max will update
the world
of his travels live every Wednesday 4:30pm-5pm (CST) via healthylife.net
internet
radio with The Pursuit of Health's host Jay Cruz.
Happy New Year
The Board of Directors and Staff at the Weston A. Price Foundation
wish you a
healthy and prosperous new year!
Sincerely,
Sally Fallon Morell, President
Kathy O'Brien Kramer, Office Manager
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