EU approves glyphosate re-licensing

Following a stand-off between the biotech lobby, EU citizens and Members of the European Parliament in reaching agreement over the renewal of the licence to use glyphosate in Europe, the parliamentary committee has again voted. Despite massive citizen opposition the motion to renew the licence for a further 5 years has been carried. In the end, 20 countries voted in favour, 7 against with 1 abstention. This has been a true ‘David and Goliath’ struggle, but with the sheer might of the biotech lobby at work behind the scenes, it’s not really a surprise that corporate profiteering has been put before the health of EU citizens. We have 5 more years to gather ourselves for the next round!

ASA U-turn on Menopause Ruling

ANH-Intl recently reported on a ludicrous ruling made by privately-owned, self-appointed media watchdog, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), that Menopause is a “serious medical condition”! Following widespread outcry, the ASA has been forced into a u-turn and have changed their ruling to state, “Menopause itself is obviously not a medical condition”. However, they still consider the symptoms suffered by women going through this natural change in life to be “conditions for which medical supervision should be sought”. Despite the u-turn, this ruling no doubt has the ASA’s cronies in Big Pharma rubbing their hands in glee as it pushes open the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) door ever wider. Synthetic HRT is known to increase the risk of cancer, yet companies offering safe and effective natural therapies including bio-identical hormone replacement are seriously knee-capped in their ability to support women naturally, prescribe and market their products. It is every woman’s right to be offered options that are relevant to her and not to be forced down a medicated route because of an advertising watchdog.

Are we facing a fertility crisis?

A recent study published in JAMA found women undergoing fertility treatment with a high exposure to pesticide-laden fruit and vegetables had a much lower chance of achieving a live birth. These results go hand in hand with news that male fertility is in serious danger due to a decline in sperm counts. Add this to the unabating obesity crisis, its effects on fertility, an obese woman’s ability to become pregnant during fertility treatment plus the effect on the neurological development of babies born to obese mothers, and we have a perfect storm brewing. If you’re experiencing problems getting pregnant speak to one of the practitioners trained by our friends at Foresight, who sadly have closed their doors this year or The Fertility Network UK.

Insects for dinner anyone?

Like it or not insects may well become the future protein source of choice. We, in the developed West, may shudder at the thought of eating insects, but they have been an integral part of the human diet for thousands of years. And continue to be so for many cultures and indigenous populations. At a recent EU conference Commissioner Andriukaitis spoke about the viability and importance of insects as a future food source and underlined the EU’s support of this focus. This is something ANH-Intl’s founder and scientific director, Rob Verkerk PhD has been talking about for more than a decade. Recently he spoke to Dr Vijay Murthy about the use of insect protein as part of a sustainable diet. Even the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) thinks insect protein are key to feeding the Earth’s increasing population in future, so like it or not you may be serving up crickets for lunch or dinner before too long!