Page 62 - Winter2008

Tim’s DVD Reviews

the FDA says there is no point in alarming the 2 percent of the population has a problem with MSG. In 1991 that small
public for no reason. The FDA maintains that percentage translated into about five million people. I give 60 Minutes a
MSG is safe in spite of all the studies that say thumbs up for this piece. They covered the basics well and the documentary
otherwise. is still as relevant today as when it was produced.
Bradley checked with several major food
producers including Heinz, Accent, Lipton, Achieving Real Health
Progresso and Campbell’s. None was interested by Dr. Pete Hilgartner
in commenting. Then he went to the Glutamate
Association, which promotes use of MSG. Their Dr. Hilgartner starts off this DVD by putting America’s health in per-
comment was, “There is nothing wrong with spective. The United States ranks 37th or lower, depending on which list
MSG. It’s perfectly safe to use.” They declined you look at, in longevity. Cancer is growing fastest among children ages
to say anything on camera, however. They did one to five years old. Medical intervention is the fourth leading cause of
provide a list of five doctors to consult. Ed death. One hundred and twelve million people are on some psychotropic
Bradley did interview one of them, an allergist, drug. The current generation of children may be the first to be outlived by
on camera. Dr. Fred Atkins wanted to make clear their parents.
that he does not represent the Glutamate Associa- Those who have been around WAPF for a while and are familiar with
tion. He went on to say he knows of no use or our principles will know most of the information on this DVD. We get a
benefit for MSG other than a flavor enhancer. He good overview of health principles and words to live by.
was also quite clear that he believed more stud- There are a number of good points to take away. For example, if doc-
ies should be done. Apparently that is as close tors are really doing their jobs well, they will each their patients how to
as the Glutamate Association can get to finding get along without them.
an enthusiastic endorsement from the medical Hilgartner also points out that the mind and general attitude have more
profession. Even the food industry estimated that control and influence over cellular activity and health than most people

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES ON A VEGETARIAN DIET by Chris Masterjohn
Audio recording available from Wolf River Naturals, www.wolfrivernaturals.com

Those who have been with us for any length of time will recognize the name Chris Masterjohn. You will remember
from his articles in previous journals that he digs into the nuts and bolts of nutrition. This MP3 audio (1 hour 54 minutes)
contains plenty of nuts and bolts. Some people like that, some don’t. I’m an engineer, so I like it. Having read several
of his articles and listening to him speak at conferences and on recordings, it is clear he has a razor sharp intellect. He
starts off the lecture by relating his personal history with vegetarianism and near veganism, which illustrates that even the
brightest people were young and stupid like everybody else at some point. His experiment with vegetarianism came to a
crashing halt when he was confronted with twelve cavities, two root canals and regular panic attacks (that’s just the short
list). Interestingly, red meat stopped the panic attacks in a matter of weeks.
After a quick review of Weston Price’s work, it’s time for details, from vitamin A to zinc. Vitamin A is important for a
long list of functions and one of the early signs of a deficiency is poor night vision. Vitamin A and D need to be properly
balanced to be effective and by themselves are toxic. Proper mineralization requires not only proper minerals, but fat
soluble vitamins A, D, K and protein. B vitamins need to be balanced and in the right form. Most vegetarians know that
they don’t get B from vegetables and need to supplement. What they don’t know is vitamin B supplements are usually
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12
in the form of cyanocobalamin. Mr. Masterjohn suspects that form is ineffective because it contains cyanide. The human
body detoxifies cyanide by combining it with cobalamin. He explains why all these critical vitamins are hard to get in a
vegetarian diet and what the best sources are. Powerpoint slides were obviously used in the lecture but are quite invisible in
the audio, so those who may be frustrated by that should beware. Still, the lecture is easy to follow and most educational.
A big thumbs up for this one.
62 Wise Traditions WINTER 2008