Tested, assessed and treated as patients rather than mothers-to-be, it's no wonder women are afraid of giving birth naturally, says Pat Thomas as International Women's Day arrives
… and partners, and to lack of good ante-natal education and to lack of solid midwifery care. … is well proven in the medical literature. Induction = increased pain = epidural = slowed labour, uncoordinated …
Pat Thomas takes a look at one of the less discussed aspects of climate change - its impact on the human psyche.
… stance, the ongoing scandals of horsemeat adulteration in our food and shockingly poor … to global CO2 emissions (China now has that dubious ‘honour’). Ironic too since the … phenomenon of global warming is itself the product of distorted minds, and disconnected …
“We’re busy doing nothing, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do...”
… to forget that labels can mislead. All the products currently involved in horsegate were … more than food carrying its label is produced to a minimum legal UK/European … promoters • Food that is locally or UK produced • Organic production • Environmentally …
Earlier this May (2013) more than 2 million people worldwide joined a March Against Monsanto. Pat Thomas explains why so many people felt outraged enough to join the demonstration....
… Orange and aspartame to the continued skulduggery of all the biotech companies including … BASF, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer CropScience and DuPont Pioneer to name a few. Everyone who … a crazy question so I hope you will all indulge the length of this comment as I tease …
Antimicrobial resistance is a ticking time-bomb not only for the UK but also for the world, warns the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies
… widespread use of antibiotics in livestock production as stealth growth promoters. Will the … animals destined for the food chain. Yet producers are not required to report on which … animals. At its launch the Alliance also produced a report Case Study of a Health Crisis …
In the midst of a growing list of bizarre decisions taken by the current UK government - particularly with regard to the environment - the recent commitment to growing more genetically modified crops must surely come out on top, argues Pat Thomas...
… we all have the right - and increasingly the duty - to take issue with it on whatever level … of how the public feels about GM. One conducted last year by the TV programme … grown in this country. A survey by food industry magazine Food Navigator found that 73% …
After a week of events throughout the UK aimed at highlighting the health risks of eating genetically modified foods, Pat Thomas highlights a key health message that many of us have missed.....
… one of the benefits of GMOs is that they reduce pesticide use. This, of course, is a lie. While GM crops with the Bt trait do reduce pesticide use somewhat, HT crops … who aggressively represent the biotech industry’s point of view . For lazy journalists …
As the UK Prime Minister welcomes the recommendations of his science advisors to 'go it alone' in Europe and embrace GMO crops, Pat Thomas wonders - whatever happened to the Precautionary Principle?
… comprehensive regulations overseeing the production and processing of poultry, since 1997 …
A widely publicised study has suggested that eating organic food doesn't stop you getting cancer. Pat Thomas finds the study deeply unconvincing - and wonders why Cancer Research UK is so quick to trumpet its conclusions.
… Does organic food reduce cancer risk? Pat Thomas | 16th April 2014 … study, estimated that 43% of new cancers were due to largely preventable dietary and … factors. That means that 60% of cancers are due to something else. Even if you were to …
GM crops that resist herbicides are bringing ever higher levels of toxic chemical residues to our food, even mothers' milk, writes Pat Thomas. As the 'endocrine disrupting' effects take place at minute concentrations, there is only one answer - to keep the herbicides off all food crops.
… ever higher levels of toxic chemical residues to our food, even mothers' milk, writes … traces of glyphosate - which since the introduction of GMO crops has become the world's … consequences for their developmental and reproductive health. The results got a lot of play …
Flame retardant chemicals lower children's IQs, disrupt hormone function and cause a host of other health problems, writes Pat Thomas. Yet they are ubiquitous in homes and offices, even in bedding and accessories for babies and young children.
… their children to the age of five. Residues up, IQs down What they found was that as … car seats and mattresses amongst other products. A decade ago, health concerns led to a … once the most popular flame retardant - added during the manufacture of polyurethane foam. …
How we farm matters, writes Pat Thomas - not just for water, insects, birds and the wider environment, which benefit from organic farming, but also the nutritional value of our food. It's time to value the quality of what we eat, instead of prizing quantity above all.
… oils). Had the authors also included dairy products in their study we would be celebrating … antioxidants compared to conventionally produced milk. Different farming methods are not … study provokes are about farming and food production - and these have been largely lost in …
Trees in cities make us feel happier and more relaxed, writes Pat Thomas, but that's only the beginning of the benefits they confer. They also reduce air pollution, levels of asthma and other respiratory problems, and lower healthcare costs by $7 billion in the US alone.
… of the benefits they confer. They also reduce air pollution, levels of asthma and other … from highways and other sources can also be reduced with trees. And of course, in the …
The UK government is determined to bring GMOs to England', writes Pat Thomas, and changes in EU rules mean this could happen as soon as next year. The way to keep them out is people power - so go ahead and declare yourself 'GM FREE ME'!
… ingredients that get put into everyday products such as food and cosmetics, it gave … momentum grew and public calls for safer products got louder, many manufacturers began to … some of the worst chemicals out of their products. And now, people power is just what we …
Four trustees of the Soil Association just resigned, 'more in sorrow than in anger'. Joanna Blythman, Lynda Brown, Andrew Whitley and former Ecologist editor Pat Thomas all decided they were unable to contribute further to the organisation, the UK's leading organic certifier and the 'mother ship' of British organic farming.
… food policy, campaigning, journalism and production. We have brought to Council not only … clout on national farming matters. 4. A dull and uninspiring image The evident lack of … example, as highlighted in a recent survey conducted by MMR Research Worldwide. A safe, …
Humans have been breastfeeding for nearly half a million years. It’s only in the last 60 years that we have begun to give babies highly processed convenience food called ‘formula’. Pat Thomas investigates
… hope to reverse the trend? All mammals produce milk for their young, and the human … never actually tell you what the basic product is made from or where the ingredients … for formula. In fact, the process of producing infant formulas has, since its earliest …
Why pay £60 for an almost barefoot experience, when you can kick off your shoes and get it for free?
… insoles or reflexology mats that mimic the undulating uneven surface of cobblestones. Last … in mental and physical wellbeing with older adults, including reductions in blood pressure and significantly …
If we truly knew about flu, and the lack of effectiveness of the vaccine being offered as protection, would we really be so obedient about getting the jab?
… attributable to flu in non-epidemic years. During epidemics this figure rises; in 1989-90 … an additional 12,500 people die each year during the flu season in England and Wales. In … year as hospital admissions and deaths may be due to complications or the infection making …
Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history. The most recent evidence, linking it to leukaemia and lymphoma, has added substantial fuel to the ongoing protests of doctors, scientists and consumer groups who allege that this artificial sweetener should never have been released onto the market and that allowing it to remain in the food chain is killing us by degrees.
… your family are among the two thirds of the adult population and 40 per cent of children … considered a boon to health-conscious individuals everywhere; and most of us, if we think … independent scientists say aspartame can produce a range of disturbing adverse effects in …
The human species has been breastfeeding for nearly half a million years. It’s only in the last 60 years that we have begun to give babies the highly processed convenience food called ‘formula’.
… the breast and on the bottle. All mammals produce milk for their young, and the human … never actually tell you what the basic product is made from or where the ingredients … for formula. In fact, the process of producing infant formulas has, since its earliest …
This is a Europe-wide label for non-food products including copy paper, dishwashing detergents, indoor paints and varnishes, hard floor coverings, textiles, televisions… even tourist accommodation. It covers a variety of environmental impacts such as production energy use, waste generation and recyclability, across the product’s whole life cycle.
… This is a Europe-wide label for non-food products including copy paper, dishwashing … a variety of environmental impacts such as production energy use, waste generation and recyclability, across the product’s whole life cycle. Products must be …
The bird is now bones, the gravy glue, the roast veggies are on their way to becoming a source of winter fuel and as soon as everyone’s dinner has gone down a bit, it will be time to do the washing-up. If you are one of the 64 per cent of households in the UK that doesn’t own a dishwasher, chances are there will be a trusty bottle of Fairy Liquid by the sink to get the job of washing-up done.
… of washing-up liquid. Nevertheless, a product like this can still add to the total … a charity that P&G (along with many other product manufacturers) supports financially. So … on the components of common household products, even though human exposure and …
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) began in 1997 as a joint initiative between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Unilever, a multinational company and one of the world’s largest buyers of fish. Its aim was to help preserve our dwindling fish stocks by certifying well-managed and sustainable fisheries.
… attention to labour problems in the fishing industry. To remedy the first concern, the WWF … are not. The Marine Conservation Society produces a Good Fish Guide (see …