- After my article on Mad Cow disease I received over 300
responses. I regret that time does not permit me to respond individually.
After reading a lot of research, I am convinced the problem is not nearly
as isolated as we are led to believe.
-
- All over the country young steers, weighing 200-300 lbs.
are sold to feed lots. In a matter of a few months these slender, healthy
animals are transformed into fat, frequently diseased, animals, weighing
600-800 lbs., ready for market.
-
- Feeding cattle diets of starchy, high-calorie grain produces
more steak but gives the animals disorders that must be treated with antibiotics
and other drugs.
-
- Cattle being readied for the slaughterhouse are typically
put on diets that are 90% grain and the remains of previously slaughtered
cows, pigs and sheep . . . bones, brains, spleen and whatever is not profitable
to sell. This makes them gain weight quickly and produce meat with the
tasty marbling of fat so beloved by steak eaters.
-
- This is similar to the massive fraud in the herbal industry.
Wild crafted echinacea takes four years to mature. One can use high powered
fertilizer and pesticides to accelerate maturity in two years. The plants
look better and are almost twice the size. This translates into far more
revenue. The problem is that although the plant looks great, it is almost
worthless and may be dangerous due to pesticide contamination. James X.
Hartman, Ph.D., professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University, examined
the "off the shelf" echinacea vs. wild crafted in his bio assay
system. The commercial product had only 10% of the activity. One can read
his article at: http://cat007.com/hart.htm
-
- The problem, said James B. Russell, a Department of Agriculture
researcher at Cornell University, is that nature designed cattle to feed
on grass and other high fiber foods. An all grain diet makes them sick,
he said in a study appearing Friday in the journal Science.
-
- ``When you feed cattle 90 or 100 percent grain, it creates
an acidosis in the ruman (stomach) and the ruman wall becomes ulcerated,''
said Russell. Bacteria, such as Fusobacterium necrophorum, migrate through
the ulcers and end up in the liver where they cause abscesses.
-
- ``At least 13 percent of the animals in feedlots have
liver abscesses, some as big as your thumb, which means the livers have
to be discarded as unfit for human consumption,'' he said.
-
- To limit this problem, feedlot operators give the animals
antibiotics to suppress F. necorphorum and other bacteria.
-
- ``If they didn't give antibiotics, about 75 percent of
the animals' livers would be abscessed,'' said Russell.
-
- Forty percent of the antibiotics sold are used for cattle.
For years I have warned that chronic use of antibiotics is very dangerous.
Your system can develop an immunity which may render an antibiotic useless
should you be in a life threatening situation where only an antibiotic
can save your life.
-
- High grain diets cause other problems, such as bloating
and liver failure, and Russell estimated that about three out of every
1,000 cattle in a feed lot die of grain-related disorders.
-
- High levels of grain in the cattle diet, said Russell,
cause a slow and sluggish movement of food through the animal. This allows
the starchy grain to build up high levels of acid in the ruman and the
acid causes the ulcers.
-
- The researcher said that about half of the bicarbonate
of soda produced in the U.S. is fed to cattle to partially neutralize the
acid from high grain diets. The industry also use lime placed in the animal
feed. Russell said that cattle are healthiest when they are fed diets that
include grass, hay or other high fiber matter. This prompts the animal's
gut to work properly, limits the production of acid and allows the animals
to gain weight without the need for antibiotics against liver abscesses.
-
- But grass and hay are low in nutrition, compared to grain,
and it takes months longer for cattle to reach market weight, said Russell.
-
- In my previous letter I mentioned that Mad Cow disease
had not been found in the Orient. I was mistaken. A few cases have been
verified in Japan.
-
- As most of you know, I provided the funding for The Generic
Co-Op. http://cat007.com/meow.htm
-
- After learning so much about this problem I contacted
one of their major laboratories which provides the "CA" (Certificate
of Authenticity) on many of their products. I spoke to David Tan. He assured
me that all cattle products (gelatin, collagen and chondroitin) were of
Chinese origin. A sister company, in Taiwan, produces millions of bottles
of nutritional products for the Chinese market. Mr. Tan said, "Chinese
will not buy any animal product supplements from Europe or the USA."
-
- If you are using Internet Explorer, type in "mad
cow disease" in the address field. You will find hundreds of scientific
articles which clearly show this problem is far more widespread that we
are told.
-
- I read of one interesting study which examined the relative
health of kids in Oriental areas where a McDonalds was introduced. Within
ten years the children's health declined. From slender and healthy many
became much like Western kids . . . overweight and far more likely to be
chronically ill.
-
- The undeniable fact is that commerce is revenue/profit
driven. I doubt we will see many nutritional manufacturers switching to
the more expensive Oriental cattle products for their gelatin, chondroitin
or collagen. My advice would be to switch to veg-caps from your current
gelatin capsules, even though it will cost more. Alternatively, insist
that any cattle derived products clearly state, "of Oriental origin."
-
- I still believe the risk is relatively small. However,
why take a risk if one cannot afford to lose?
-
- The best idea is to substitute fish or poultry for beef
and buy only organically raised veggies.
-
- I have eaten my last Big Mac.
-
- I write this from an internet cafe on the island of St.
Kitts. We sail for St. Lucia tomorrow.
-
- Jon
-
- __________________
-
-
- Dr. Jon's First Letter...
-
-
- Mad Cow Disease - A Cover Up?
Dr Jon's Letter
1-13-2
-
- Recently I have received several emails from those claiming
that Mad Cow disease is indeed in the USA. These were not the typical activist
baloney, rather thoughtful people who are concerned. One physician wrote
that a patient's Mother had suddenly died in a Florida hospital. . . of
a brain tumor, which does normally cause a rapid demise. They were suspicious
and ordered an autopsy. It revealed Mad Cow disease!
-
- The attending physician privately confirmed that he had
13 such cases which he was obliged, under orders, to diagnose as a brain
tumor or Alzheimer's disease.
-
- If there is infestation in the USA, disclosing it publically
would destroy the cattle industry and cause panic. Supressing the information
wouldn't be discovered until symptoms appeared in mass, which can take
4-10 years.
-
- I am definately not paranoid but I am beginning to wonder
if some massive cover up, from the top, is underway.
-
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
- The following was taken, in part, from a publication
of The American Humane Society.
-
- What Is Mad Cow Disease (technically known as Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy or SCE)?
-
- Spongiform encephalopathies are nervous system disorders
in which nerve cells of the brain die, causing the brain to assume a sponge-
like appearance. BSE is the term applied to this malady as it affects cows
and was first recognized in November 1986. Affected cows show clinical
signs such as belligerence, confusion and poor coordination. A brain biopsy
is presently the only way to confirm a BSE diagnosis.
-
- What causes BSE?
-
- Scientists call the agent believed to cause BSE a "prion,"
an infectious protein lacking nucleic acid. Prions are thought to multiply
by setting off a chain reaction that damages nearby healthy cellular proteins,
converting normal proteins into abnormal ones.
-
- Traditional methods to destroy microbes do NOT work on
prions. They show resistance to normal forms of sterilization, such as
common disinfectants, ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, and autoclaving.
And contaminated tissue samples fixed in formalin have been found to still
be infectious.
-
- How is it Transmitted to Cows?
-
- Prions are transmissible to other species including sheep
and primates. For several centuries, a form of spongiform encephalopathy
called scrapie has been known to afflict sheep.
-
- For the past half century, there has been a trend toward
intensified production of livestock raised for consumption. To find a use
for the vast tonnage of condemned and inedible remains of slaughtered animals,
they are rendered down and the protein residue is fed to billions of poultry,
pigs, milk cows and beef cattle.
-
- Some animals that are slaughtered are diseased. Since
the agent that causes spongiform encephalopathy is not easily detected
or destroyed, it can end up in animal feed. The brain, spinal cord, thymus,
spleen and tonsils are the parts most suspect for contamination. There
is also supporting evidence that the infectious agent of BSE can be passed
form an infected cow to her unborn calf.
-
- In Britain, where mad cow disease is most prevalent,
over 160,000 cattle have been stricken with it. Infected cattle also have
ben found in numerous other countries including France, Italy, Germany,
Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, Portugal, and Denmark.
-
- There is no evidence that Oriental cattle are contaminated.
-
- How are Humans Affected?
-
- The period between infection and clinical symptoms of
BSE in cattle averages 4 years. During this incubation period the agent
can be transmitted. Asymptomatic animals who are infected may be slaughtered
and enter the human food supply.
-
- What is the Human Form of Encephalopathy?
-
- The most common form of Human Spongiform Encephalopathy
(HSE) is Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD). The average age of onset of symptoms
is sixty-five. However, 85% of HSE randomly occurs with no known cause.
Clinical signs include impairment of thought, sight, and movement due to
the destruction of brain cells, and a dementia resembling that of Alzheimer's
disease. Muscle spasms occur, creating rigidity and jerkiness, and there
is a loss of balance. Death is inevitable and swift, usually within months.
-
- The is a new form of HSE. It differs from CJD in that
there is no genetic predisposition, it has a 10 year incubation period,
the microscopic appearance of the diseased nerve cells is different, and
victims die within one year of exhibiting symptoms. As with cattle, the
primary symptom is dementia. HSE can very easily be confused with Alzheimer's
disease, which millions of people are diagnosed with each year. The cause
of dementia is reportedly misdiagnosed 25% of the time. A postmortem microscopic
examination of the brain is presently the only method available to confirm
a diagnosis of HSE.
-
- Is the Problem Under Control in the United States?
-
- Some cattle imported from Britain before the 1989 ban
are still here. Sheep scrapie (which has been implicated as the cause of
BSE) also exists here. Despite the voluntary ban on sheep byproducts in
cattle feed, FDA officials admit it is very difficult to verify compliance
because there is no way to test a rendered product for sheep content. Therefore,
potentially infectious animal tissue is still being fed to cattle, and
infected by asymptomatic animals may still enter the human food supply.
-
- Additionally, some three dozen marketed drugs are derived
from cattle tissue and organs, and hundreds more contain bovine blood.
Gelatin, derived from cattle hooves, hides and bones is an ingredient of
many foods and drugs and is used to make capsules. The FDA is now considering
formalizing a ban on the use of pharmaceutical gelatin imported from countries
with BSE.
-
- What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Acquiring HSE?
-
- The best way to protect yourself is to eliminate from
your diet any source of beef that may be contaminated. Intensive livestock
production systems may promote BSE (because animals in intensive confinement
are more likely to be fed animal remains). Therefore, eliminating meat
from intensive confinement or factory farms is a good start. Some organic
cattle farmers in Britain believe that organophosphate pesticides, widely
used on other cattle, may play a role in BSE. There have been NO DOCUMENTED
CASES of BSE in cows who have been born and raised on organic farms.
-
- The best way of knowing what is going into your food
is to know where your food comes from. Whenever possible, buy locally grown
food from organic and sustainable formers and ranchers. Let your grocers
know that you want to buy local, organic produce, and animal products obtained
through more humane and sustainable production methods.
-
- Several months ago I advised manufacturers to specify
Oriental cattle as a source for any cattle parts used in their formulas.
I thought the risk was very small but decided the insurance was worth a
bit more. Most ignored me . . . because the price would have to be increased.
-
- If you take any gelatin capsules I would recommend you
restrict to only gelatin from Oriental cows. One can usually get their
supplement in vegie capsules. Veggie capsules cost more to produce, but
does a few cents/bottle really matter?
-
- If you take one of the very popular, and effective, joint
pain formulas, which contain chondroitin, you are ingesting cattle parts.
If the label does not specifically state, "Chondroitin from Oriental
sources.", you may be taking a risk.
-
- I have never wanted, so very much, to be wrong.
-
- Jon
-
- Previous newsletters are available here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drjoncat/messages
-
-
-
- Comment
-
- From Sheryl Jackson
moonfyre1@msn.com
1-16-2
-
- We and Britain have been getting bio-attacked for the
last five years. This is not new. It is part of the coverup. I personally
have not eaten mammal of any kind for 14 years. Feeding cows dead animals
is an abomination. Putting insect and unknown DNA in plants is an abomination.
England and the Mad Cow/Anthrax have been products of bioterrorism and
so is the West Nile and any of the myriad of other viruses and mutated
pathogens that have been killing people for the last 30 years. AIDS, Hanta
Virus, West Nile, e.coli, ebola, wherever they have appeared, they have
been planted. This is all a plan to maintain a sustainable population
of 500 million people (planet wide). Can't do that with 6.5 billon around
breathing and being useless eaters. We need to use our brains and remember:
don't believe anything America's government says, and don't disbelieve
anything they do. - Sheryl Jackson >
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