Health Impact News

A ballot initiative banning GMO crops in San Juan County in Washington State appeared to win with overwhelming support on election day. The Islands Weekly reports:

It’s a sweeping triumph for the Initiative Measure 2012-4 with an initial tally of 5,183 votes. The measure, proposed by organic farmers and others in San Juan County, makes it unlawful to propagate or grow plants or animals in San Juan County which have been genetically modified and provides for penalties and destruction of such organisms. The measure gained an overwhelming 60.89 percent of the initial ballot tally versus 39.11 percent against.

Washington State also has a grass-roots initiative started to require GMO labeling of foods in support of consumer rights, and is currently working to gather the required 241,153 signatures needed by December 31, 2012.

A similar grass-roots movement to label GMO foods in California was defeated, after corporate GMO producers outspent the grass-roots consumer group by $45 million to $6 million. Ads designed to confuse and scare consumers turned public opinion that enjoyed an over 60% support of labeling GMO foods just a couple of months ago into a defeat of the ballot initiative on election day.

Dr. Bernhoft Explains the “Science” Behind GMO Foods and Why You Want Them Labeled:

Dr. Robin Bernhoft is a fellow and past president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and director of the Bernhoft Center for Advanced Medicine in Ojai California. Dr. Bernhoft, MD, was born in Fargo, North Dakota, graduated cum laude from Harvard College and earned his MD at Washington University Medical School, St Louis. After surgery residency at UCSF, where he published over twenty scientific papers, and a liver/pancreatic surgery fellowship in London, England, he entered private practice in the Seattle area, joining the clinical faculty of the University of Washington Medical School. After several years of busy surgical practice, he became environmentally ill, from leaving disinfectant on his hands throughout 600 operations per year. The toxic chemicals he absorbed swamped his ability to detoxify, and gave him skin, respiratory and GI problems which caused him to lose 35 pounds in four months. In order to understand what was happening to him, and to survive, Dr Bernhoft retrained in environmental medicine, 2002-6. By applying what he learned, he regained his health, and shed his sensitivity to perfumes and mold.Dr Bernhoft is now able to run 20 to 30 miles per week, and is three belts short of black belt in Shito Ryu karate. He has his life back, and is eager to use what he has learned to help others regain theirs.

In this video Dr. Bernhoft discusses the various health impacts of genetically-modified food at a GMO conference in support of Ca. Prop. 37 the GMO (food) Labeling Inititative in Ventura County California.

Learn more about Dr. Bernhoft here: http://drbernhoft.com/