(NaturalNews) The Border Patrol has temporarily postponed -- but refused to cancel -- plans to use helicopters to spray herbicide along the banks of the Rio Grande between the cities of Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in order to kill a fast-growing river cane that provides cover for undocumented migrants, smugglers and other border crossers.
The controversial plan has drawn fire for its similarities to the U.S. government's defoliation strategy during the Vietnam War, in which the government sprayed more than 21 million gallons of "Agent Orange" and other herbicides in order to eliminate hiding places for Vietnamese guerillas. An estimated 4.8 million Vietnamese citizens and thousands of U.S. soldiers were exposed to the dioxin-based chemical, resulting in more than 500,000 birth defects and 400,000 deaths and disabilities among adults.
The Border Patrol proposed to begin by defoliating 1.1 miles of the river, possibly eventually expanding the program to 130 miles and perhaps even to other parts of the border.
Local citizens and environmentalists on both sides of the border have widely criticized the plan. The Mexican government has objected that there is insufficient scientific data over the health risks of imazapyr, the herbicide to be used, and that it wants to conduct its own assessment. The Border Patrol has postponed the plan, but has not promised to await the results of further studies.
"Nobody knows the impact of imazapyr," said Jay Johnson-Castro Sr., executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center. "It's no different than Agent Orange."
Environmentalists say that in addition to killing the targeted carrizo cane, an invasive species, imazapyr would kill native plants and destroy the habitat of more than 1,000 animal species. Along with Mexican officials, they have raised concern about contamination of local water supplies.
"We don't believe that is even moral," Johnston-Castro said. "It is unprecedented that they'd do it in a populated area."
Sources for this story include: www.chron.com; news.newamericamedia.org.
(NaturalNews) A recent study reveals new evidence that could turn the tide in the ongoing debate about which fats are the healthier choice: saturated fats like coconut oil or polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil. Many natural food experts will tell you without question that coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats, but since giants like the Food and Drug Administration and the American Diabetes Association maintain that saturated fats are bad, the public is tossed back and forth between two polar beliefs.
The study - which is yet to be published in print - included 40 women between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. All of the women were instructed to follow the same balanced, low-calorie diet while maintaining a moderate daily exercise routine over a 12-week period. Half of the women were given a 30 ml supplement of coconut oil each day, while the other half was given 30 ml of soybean oil. Over the course of the study, overall carbohydrate and caloric intake decreased. Fat, protein and fiber intake remained unchanged during the study.
One week before the study and one week after, the women were evaluated on a number of factors: waist circumference, lipid levels, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol were all noted, as well as the HDL:LDL ratio. At the beginning of the study there was no significant difference in these factors in either group of women.
At the end of the study, both groups showed a decrease in body mass index (BMI), but only the women taking coconut oil showed a notable decrease in waist circumference as well. Evidence shows that a decrease in waist circumference can significantly lower one's risk for conditions like type II diabetes and heart disease.
The study also showed that the women taking coconut oil had an improved cholesterol profile, with higher HDL levels and a higher HDL:LDL ratio. Those taking soybean oil, however, did not receive the same benefits. In fact, the soybean oil group had higher total cholesterol, higher LDL cholesterol, lower HDL cholesterol, and a lower HDL:LDL ratio.
In the words of the study authors: "It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity."
In layman's terms, results like this completely contradict what the FDA and other major associations have been spoon-feeding the public for decades while the rate of disease and obesity climb at alarming rates. Maybe it's time to rethink our conventional theories about fats.
For More Information:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/17604/
http://www.foryourhealth.eu/content/effects-dietary-coconut-oil-biochemical-and-anthropometric-profiles-women-presenting-abdomin
Assuncao ML, Ferreira HS, Dos Santos AF, Cabral CR Jr, Florencio TM. Effects of Dietary Coconut Oil on the Biochemical and Anthropometric Profiles of Women Presenting Abdominal Obesity. Lipids. May 13, 2009. [Published Online Ahead of Print Publication.]
About the author
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer, specializing in articles about health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent common illnesses.