Hidden dangers of microwaved food-pass on to all you know and love

[Guest guest]

Oh I am fuming mad again. Once again truth that could improve and save

lives was dimissed, hidden and peoples rights to know the truth taken from=

them. I pray even now for the eyes and hearts of people to be opened to th=

e

truth and that they will have the convictions to rid themselves of their

microwaves. I'll be forwarding this on and hope everyone else does as well.=

I

haven't missed it at all and I have alot more counter space to boot!

Of course it's another incentive in eating more raw foods. I don't believe=

I

have bought a frozen processed food since July .

I THREW AWAY my microwave in July. when I decided to clean up the diet of

myself and my family and do anything to help my autistic son. I prayed the=

n

and continue to do so, regarding the whys and hows of the drastic changes I=

have made. God spoke to my heart and told me to get rid of it. I thought ab=

out

giving it away to our church to pass on to someone in need, but once again =

His Holy spirit said I need to TRASH it. I would have done so years ago i=

f I

had read this article.

> Message

>

> The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking

> Recent research shows that microwave oven-cooked food suffers severe

molecular damage. When eaten, it causes abnormal changes in human blood

and immune systems.

> Not surprisingly, the public has been denied details on these significant=

health dangers.

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=

-------

>

> Extracted from NEXUS Magazine, Volume 2, #25 (April-May '95).

> PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia. editor@n...

> Telephone: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381

> From our web page at: www.nexusmagazine.com

>

>

> Originally printed from the April 1994 edition of Acres, USA.

> PO Box 8800, Metairie, Louisiana, 70011 USA

> Telephone: (504) 889 2100; Fax: (504) 889 2777

>

>

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=

-------

>

>

> Back in May of 1989, after Tom Valentine first moved to St , Minnesot=

a,

he heard on the car radio a short announcement that bolted him upright in t=

he

driver's seat. The announcement was sponsored by Young Families, the

Minnesota Extension Service of the University of Minnesota:

> " Although microwaves heat food quickly, they are not recommended for

heating a baby's bottle, " the announcement said. The bottle may seem cool t=

o

the touch, but the liquid inside may become extremely hot and could burn th=

e

baby's mouth and throat. Also, the buildup of steam in a closed container s=

uch

as a baby's bottle could cause it to explode. " Heating the bottle in a

microwave can cause slight changes in the milk. In infant formulas, there m=

ay

be a loss of some vitamins. In expressed breast milk, some protective

properties may be destroyed. " The report went on. " Warming a bottle by

holding it under tap water or by setting it in a bowl of warm water, then t=

esting

it on your wrist before feeding, may take a few minutes longer, but it is m=

uch

safer. "

> Valentine asked himself: If an established institution like the Universit=

y of

Minnesota can warn about the loss of particular nutrient qualities in

microwaved baby formula or mother's milk, then somebody must know

something about microwaving they are not telling everybody.

>

> A LAWSUIT

> In early 1991, word leaked out about a lawsuit in Oklahoma. A woman

named Norma Levitt had hip surgery, only to be killed by a simple blood

transfusion when a nurse " warmed the blood for the transfusion in a

microwave oven " !

> Logic suggests that if heating or cooking is all there is to it, then it =

doesn't

matter what mode of heating technology one uses. However, it is quite

apparent that there is more to 'heating' with microwaves than we've been le=

d

to believe.

> Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed-but not in microwave ovens! In=

the case of Mrs. Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed he=

r.

> Does it not therefore follow that this form of heating does, indeed, do

'something different' to the substances being heated? Is it not prudent to =

determine what that 'something different' might do?

> A funny thing happened on the way to the bank with all that microwave ove=

n

revenue: nobody thought about the obvious. Only 'health nuts' who are

constantly aware of the value of quality nutrition discerned a problem with=

the

widespread 'denaturing' of our food. Enter Hans Hertel.

>

> HANS HERTEL

> In the tiny town of Wattenwil, near Basel in Switzerland, there lives a

scientist who is alarmed at the lack of purity and naturalness in the many =

pursuits of modern mankind. He worked as a food scientist for several years=

with one of the many major Swiss food companies that do business on a

global scale. A few years ago, he was fired from his job for questioning

procedures in processing food because they denatured it.

> " The world needs our help, " Hans Hertel told Tom Valentine as they shared=

a fine meal at a resort hotel in Todtmoss, Germany.

> " We, the scientists, carry the main responsibility for the present

unacceptable conditions. It is therefore our job to correct the situation a=

nd

bring the remedy to the world. I am striving to bring man and techniques ba=

ck

into harmony with nature. We can have wonderful technologies without

violating nature. "

> Hans is an intense man, driven by personal knowledge of violations of

nature by corporate man and his state-supported monopolies in science,

technology and education. At the same time, as the two talked, his intensit=

y

shattered into a warm smile and he spoke of the way things could be if

mankind's immense talent were to work with nature and not against her.

> Hans Hertel is the first scientist to conceive of and carry out a quality=

study

on the effects of microwaved nutrients on the blood and physiology of human=

beings. This small but well-controlled study pointed the firm finger at a

degenerative force of microwave ovens and the food produced in them. The

conclusion was clear: microwave cooking changed the nutrients so that

changes took place in the participants' blood; these were not healthy chang=

es

but were changes that could cause deterioration in the human systems.

> Working with Bernard H. Blanc of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technolog=

y

and the University Institute for Biochemistry, Hertel not only conceived of=

the

study and carried it out, he was one of eight participants.

> " To control as many variables as possible, we selected eight individuals =

who were strict macrobiotic diet participants from the Macrobiotic Institut=

e at

Kientel, Switzerland, " Hertel explained. " We were all housed in the same

hotel environment for eight weeks. There was no smoking, no alcohol and no =

sex. "

> One can readily see that this protocol makes sense. After all, how could =

you

tell about subtle changes in a human's blood from eating microwaved food if=

smoking, booze, junk food, pollution, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and=

everything else in the common environment were also present?

> " We had one American, one Canadian and six Europeans in the group. I

was the oldest at 64 years, the others were in their 20s and 30s, " Hertel

added.

> Valentine published the results of this study in Search for Health in the=

Spring of 1992. But the follow-up information is available only in a later =

edition, and also in Acres, USA.

> In intervals of two to five days, the volunteers in the study received on=

e of

the food variants on an empty stomach. The food variants were: raw milk fro=

m

a biofarm (no. 1); the same milk conventionally cooked (no. 2); pasteurised=

milk from Intermilk Berne (no. 3); the same raw milk cooked in a microwave =

oven (no. 4); raw vegetables from an organic farm (no. 5); the same

vegetables cooked conventionally (no. 6); the same vegetables frozen and

defrosted in the microwave oven (no. 7); and the same vegetables cooked in =

the microwave oven (no. 8). The overall experiment had some of the

earmarks of the Pottenger cat studies, except that now human beings were

test objects, the experiment's time-frame was shorter, and a new heat form =

was tested.

> Once the volunteers were isolated at the resort hotel, the test began. Bl=

ood

samples were taken from every volunteer immediately before eating. Then

blood samples were taken at defined intervals after eating from the above-

numbered milk or vegetable preparations.

> Significant changes were discovered in the blood of the volunteers who

consumed foods cooked in the microwave oven. These changes included a

decrease in all haemoglobin values and cholesterol values, especially the

HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) values and ratio.

Lymphocytes (white blood cells) showed a more distinct short-term decrease =

following the intake of microwaved food than after the intake of all the ot=

her

variants. Each of these indicators point in a direction away from robust he=

alth

and toward degeneration. Additionally, there was a highly significant

association between the amount of microwave energy in the test foods and

the luminous power of luminescent bacteria exposed to serum from test

persons who ate that food. This led Hertel to the conclusion that such

technically derived energies may, indeed, be passed along to man inductivel=

y

via consumption of microwaved food.

> " This process is based on physical principles and has already been

confirmed in the literature, " Hertel explained. The apparent additional ene=

rgy

exhibited by the luminescent bacteria was merely extra confirmation.

> " There is extensive scientific literature concerning the hazardous effect=

s of

direct microwave radiation on living systems, " Hertel continued. " It is

astonishing, therefore, to realise how little effort has been made to repla=

ce

this detrimental technique of microwaves with technology more in accordance=

with nature.

> " Technically produced microwaves are based on the principle of alternatin=

g

current. Atoms, molecules and cells hit by this hard electromagnetic radiat=

ion

are forced to reverse polarity 1 to 100 billion times a second. There are n=

o

atoms, molecules or cells of any organic system able to withstand such a

violent, destructive power for any extended period of time, not even in the=

low

energy range of milliwatts.

> " Of all the natural substances-which are polar-the oxygen of water

molecules reacts most sensitively. This is how microwave cooking heat is

generated-friction from this violence in water molecules. Structures of

molecules are torn apart, molecules are forcefully deformed (called structu=

ral

isomerism) and thus become impaired in quality.

>

> HEATING FOOD

> " This is contrary to conventional heating of food, in which heat transfer=

s

convectionally from without to within. Cooking by microwaves begins within =

the cells and molecules where water is present and where the energy is

transformed into frictional heat. "

> The question naturally arises: What about microwaves from the sun? Aren't=

they harmful?

> Hertel responded: " The microwaves from the Sun are based on principles of=

pulsed direct current. These rays create no frictional heat in organic

substance. "

> In addition to violent frictional heat effects (called thermic effects), =

there are

also athermic effects which have hardly ever been taken into account, Herte=

l

added.

> " These athermic effects are not presently measurable, but they can also

deform the structures of molecules and have qualitative consequences. For

example, the weakening of cell membranes by microwaves is used in the field=

of gene altering technology. Because of the force involved, the cells are

actually broken, thereby neutralising the electrical potentials-the very li=

fe of

the cells-between the outer and inner sides of the cell membranes. Impaired=

cells become easy prey for viruses, fungi and other micro-organisms. The

natural repair mechanisms are suppressed, and cells are forced to adapt to =

a

state of energy emergency: they switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiratio=

n.

Instead of water and carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide and carbon

monoxide are produced. "

> It has long been pointed out in the literature that any reversal of healt=

hy cell

processes may occur because of a number of reasons, and our cells then

revert from a " robust oxidation " to an unhealthy " fermentation " .

> The same violent friction and athermic deformations that can occur in our=

bodies when we are subjected to radar or microwaves, happens to the

molecules in the food cooked in a microwave oven. In fact, when anyone

microwaves food, the oven exerts a power input of about 1,000 watts or more=

..

This radiation results in destruction and deformation of molecules of food,=

and

in the formation of new compounds (called radiolytic compounds) unknown to =

man and nature.

> Today's established science and technology argues forcefully that

microwaved food and irradiated foods do not have any significantly higher

" radiolytic compounds " than do broiled, baked or other conventionally cooke=

d

foods-but microwaving does produce more of these critters. Curiously, neith=

er

established science nor our ever-protective government has conducted tests-=

on the blood of the eaters-of the effects of eating various kinds of cooked=

foods. Hertel and his group did test it, and the indication is clear that

something is amiss and that larger studies should be funded. The apparently=

toxic effects of microwave cooking is another in a long list of unnatural

additives in our daily diets. However, the establishment has not taken kind=

ly

to this work.

> " The first drawing of blood samples took place on an empty stomach at 7.4=

5

each morning, " Hertel explained. " The second drawing of blood took place 15=

minutes after the food intake. The third drawing was two hours later. "

> From each sample, 50 millilitres of blood was used for the chemistry and =

five millimetres for the haematology and the luminescence. The

haematological examinations took place immediately after drawing the

samples. Erythrocytes, haemoglobin, mean haemoglobin concentration,

mean haemoglobin content, leukocytes and lymphocytes were measured.

The chemical analysis consisted of iron, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol=

and LDL cholesterol.

> The results of erythrocyte, haemoglobin, haematocrit and leukocyte

determinations were at the " lower limits of normal " in those tested followi=

ng

the eating of the microwaved samples.

> " These results show anaemic tendencies. The situation became even more

pronounced during the second month of the study, " Hertel added. " And with

those decreasing values, there was a corresponding increase of cholesterol =

values. "

> Hertel admits that stress factors, from getting punctured for the blood

samples so often each day, for example, cannot be ruled out, but the

established baseline for each individual became the " zero values " marker,

and only changes from the zero values were statistically determined.

> With only one round of test substances completed, the different effects

between conventionally prepared food and microwaved food were marginal-

although noticed as definite " tendencies " . As the test continued, the

differences in the blood markers became " statistically significant " . The

changes are generally considered to be signs of stress on the body. For

example, erythrocytes tended to increase after eating vegetables from the

microwave oven. Haemoglobin and both of the mean concentration and

content haemoglobin markers also tended to decrease significantly after

eating the microwaved substances.

>

> LEUKOCYTOSIS

> " Leukocytosis, " Hertel explained, " which cannot be accounted for by norma=

l

daily deviations such as following the intake of food, is taken seriously b=

y

haematologists. Leukocyte response is especially sensitive to stress. They =

are often signs of pathogenic effects on the living system, such as poisoni=

ng

and cell damage. The increase of leukocytes with the microwaved foods was

more pronounced than with all the other variants. It appears that these

marked increases were caused entirely by ingesting the microwaved

substances. "

> The cholesterol markers were very interesting, Hertel stressed:

> " Common scientific belief states that cholesterol values usually alter sl=

owly

over longer periods of time. In this study, the markers increased rapidly a=

fter

the consumption of the microwaved vegetables. However, with milk, the

cholesterol values remained the same and even decreased with the raw milk

significantly. "

> Hertel believes his study tends to confirm newer scientific data that sug=

gest

cholesterol may rapidly increase in the blood secondary to acute stress.

" Also, " he added, " blood cholesterol levels are less influenced by choleste=

rol

content of food than by stress factors. Such stress-causing factors can

apparently consist of foods which contain virtually no cholesterol-the

microwaved vegetables. "

> It is plain to see that this individually financed and conducted study ha=

s

enough meat in it to make anyone with a modicum of common sense sit up

and take notice. Food from the microwave oven caused abnormal changes,

representing stress, to occur in the blood of all the test individuals. Bio=

logical

individuality, a key variable that makes a mockery of many allegedly scient=

ific

studies, was well accounted for by the established baselines.

> So, how has the brilliant world of modern technology, medicine and 'prote=

ct

the public' government reacted to this impressive effort?

>

> A GAG ORDER

> As soon as Hertel and Blanc announced their results, the hammer of

authority slammed down on them. A powerful trade organisation, the Swiss

Association of Dealers for Electroapparatuses for Households and Industry, =

known simply as FEA, struck swiftly. They forced the President of the Court=

of

Seftigen, Kanton Bern, to issue a 'gag order' against Hertel and Blanc. The=

attack was so ferocious that Blanc quickly recanted his support-but it was =

too

late. He had already put into writing his views on the validity of the stud=

ies

where he concurred with the opinion that microwaved food caused the blood

abnormalities.

> Hertel stood his ground, and today is steadfastly demanding his rights to=

a

trial. Preliminary hearings on the matter have been appealed to higher cour=

ts,

and it's quite obvious the powers that be do not want a 'show trial' to eru=

pt on

this issue.

> In March 1993, the court handed down this decision based upon the

complaint of the FEA:

> " Consideration.

> 1. Request from the plaintiff (FEA) to prohibit the defendant (Dr Ing. Ha=

ns

Hertel) from declaring that food prepared in the microwave oven shall be

dangerous to health and lead to changes in the blood of consumers, giving

reference to pathologic troubles as also indicative for the beginning of a =

cancerous process. The defendant shall be prohibited from repeating such a =

statement in publications and in public talks by punishment laid down in th=

e

law.

> 2. The jurisdiction of the judge is given according to law.

> 3. The active legitimacy of the plaintiff is given according to the law.

> 4. The passive legitimacy of the defendant is given by the fact that he i=

s the

author of the polemic [published study] in question, especially since the

present new and revised law allows to exclude the necessity of a competitiv=

e

situation, therefore delinquents may also be persons who are not co-

competitors, but may damage the competing position of others by mere

declarations.

> [Apparently, Swiss corporations have lobbied in a law that nails

" delinquents " who disparage products and might do damage to commerce by

such remarks. So far, the US Constitution still preserves freedom of the pr=

ess.]

> 5. Considering the relevant situation it is referred to three publication=

s: the

public renunciation [sic] of the so-called co-author Professor Bernard Blan=

c,

the expertise of Professor Teuber [expert witness from the FEA] about the

above-mentioned publication, the opinion of the public health authorities w=

ith

regard to the present stage of research with microwave ovens as well as to =

repeated statements from the side of the defendant about the danger of such=

ovens.

> 6. It is not considered of importance whether or not the polemic of the

defendant meets the approval of the public, because all that is necessary i=

s

that a possibility exists that such a statement could find approval with pe=

ople

not being experts themselves. Also, advertising involving fear is not allow=

ed

and is always disqualified by the law. The necessity for a fast interferenc=

e is in

no case more advised than in the processes of competition. Basically, the

defendant has the right to defend himself against such accusations. This ri=

ght,

however, can be denied in cases of pressing danger with regard to impairing=

the rights of the plaintiff when this is requested.

>

> Conclusion.

> On grounds of this pending request of the plaintiff, the court arrives at=

the

conclusion that because of special presuppositions as in this case, a defin=

ite

disadvantage for the plaintiff does exist, which may not easily be repaired=

,

and therefore must be considered to be of immediate danger. The case thus

warrants the request of the plaintiff to be justified, even without hearing=

the

defendant. Also, because it is not known when the defendant will bring furt=

her

statements into the public.

> The judge is also of the opinion that because the publications are made u=

p

to appear as scientific, and therefore especially reliable-looking, they ma=

y

cause additional bad disadvantages. It must be added that there does

obviously not exist a just reason for this publication because there is no =

public

interest for pseudo-scientific unproved declarations. Finally, these ordere=

d

measures do not prove to be disproportionate.

> The defendant is prohibited, under punishment of up to F5,000, or up to o=

ne

year in prison, to declare that food prepared in microwave ovens is

dangerous to health and leads to pathologic troubles as also indicative for=

the

beginning of a cancerous process.

> The plaintiff pays the costs.

> (Signed) President of the Court of Seftigen Kraemer. "

> If you cannot imagine this kind of decision coming from a court in the Un=

ited

States, you have not been paying attention to the advances of administrativ=

e

law.

> Hertel defied the court and has loudly demanded a fair hearing on the tru=

th

of his claims. The court has continued to delay, dodge, appeal and avoid an=

y

media-catching confrontation. As of this writing, Hans is still waiting for=

a

hearing with media coverage-and he's still talking and publishing his findi=

ngs.

> " They have not been able to intimidate me into silence, and I will not ac=

cept

their conditions, " Hertel declared. " I have appeared at large seminars in

Germany, and the study results have been well-received. Also, I think the

authorities are aware that scientists at Ciba-Geigy [the world's largest

pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Switzerland] have vowed to

support me in court. "

> As those powerful special interests in Switzerland who desire to sell

microwave ovens by the millions continued to suppress open debate on this

vital issue for modern civilisation, new microwave developments blossomed

in the United States.

>

> INFANT DANGER

> In the journal Pediatrics (vol. 89, no. 4, April 1992), there appeared an=

article titled, " Effects of Microwave Radiation on Anti-infective Factors i=

n

Human Milk " . Quan, M.D. from Dallas, Texas, was the lead name of

the study team. A. Kerner, M.D., from Stanford University, was also on=

the research team, and he was quoted in a summary article on the research

that appeared in the 25 April 1992 issue of Science News. To get the full

flavour of what may lie ahead for microwaving, here is that summary article=

:

> " Women who work outside the home can express and store breast milk for

feedings when they are away. But parents and caregivers should be careful

how they warm this milk. A new study shows that microwaving human milk-

even at a low setting-can destroy some of its important disease-fighting

capabilities.

> " Breast milk can be refrigerated safely for a few days or frozen for up t=

o a

month; however, studies have shown that heating the milk well above body

temperature-37°ree;C-can break down not only its antibodies to infectious

agents, but also its lysozymes or bacteria-digesting enzymes. So, when

paediatrician A. Kerner, Jr, witnessed neonatal nurses routinely thawi=

ng

or reheating breast milk with the microwave oven in their lounge, he became=

concerned.

> " In the April 1992 issue of Pediatrics (Part I), he and his Stanford Univ=

ersity

co-workers reported finding that unheated breast milk that was microwaved

lost lysozyme activity, antibodies and fostered the growth of more potentia=

lly

pathogenic bacteria. Milk heated at a high setting (72 degrees Celsius to 9=

8

degrees C) lost 96 per cent of its immunoglobulin-A antibodies, agents that=

fend off invading microbes.

> " What really surprised him, Kerner said, was finding some loss of anti-

infective properties in the milk microwaved at a low setting-and to a mean =

of

just 33.5 degrees C. Adverse changes at such low temperatures suggest

'microwaving itself may in fact cause some injury to the milk above and

beyond the heating'.

> " But Randall M. Goldblum of the University of Texas Medical Branch in

Galveston disagrees, saying: 'I don't see any compelling evidence that the =

microwaves did any harm. It was the heating.' Lysozyme and antibody

degradation in the coolest samples may simply reflect the development of

small hot spots-potentially 60 degrees C or above-during microwaving, noted=

Madeleine Sigman-Grant of Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

And that's to be expected, she said, because microwave heating is inherentl=

y

uneven-and quite unpredictable when volumes less than four millilitres are =

involved, as was the case in the Kerner's study.

>

> " Goldblum considers use of a microwave to thaw milk an especially bad

idea, since it is likely to boil some of the milk before all has even lique=

fied.

Stanford University Medical Center no longer microwaves breast milk, Kerner=

notes. And that's appropriate, Sigman-Grant believes, because of the small =

volumes of milk that hospitals typically serve newborns-especially prematur=

e

infants. "

>

> CHASING A STORY

> Journalist Tom Valentine, after chasing this story, found it interesting =

that

'scientists' have so many 'beliefs' to express rather than prove fact. Yet =

facts

eventually snuff out credential-based conjecture.

> Researcher Quan, in a phone interview, said that he believed the results =

of

research so far warranted further detailed study of the effects of microwav=

e

cooking on nutrients. The summary sentence in an abstract of the research

paper is very clear:

> " Microwaving appears to be contra-indicated at high temperatures, and

questions regarding its safety exist even at low temperatures. "

> The final statement of the study conclusion reads:

> " This preliminary study suggests that microwaving human milk could be

detrimental. Further studies are needed to determine whether and how

microwaving could safely be done. " Unfortunately, further studies are not

scheduled at this time.

> If there are so many indications that the effects of microwaves on foods =

can

degrade the foods far above the known breakdowns of standard cooking, is it=

not reasonable to conduct exhaustive studies on living, breathing human

beings to determine if it's possible that eating microwaved foods continuou=

sly,

as many people do, can be significantly detrimental to individual health?

> If you wanted to introduce a herbal supplement into the American

mainstream and make any health claims for it, you would be subjected to

exhaustive documentation and costly research. Yet the microwave-oven

industry had only to prove that the dangerous microwaves could, indeed, be =

contained within the oven and not escape into the surrounding area where

the radiation could do damage to people. The industry must admit that some =

microwaves escape even in the best-made ovens. So far, not one thought has =

been given by the industry to the possibility that the nutrients could be s=

o

altered as to be deleterious to health.

> Well, this makes sense in a land that encourages farmers to poison crops =

and soils with massive amounts of synthesised chemicals, and encourages

food processors to use additives that enhance shelf-life of foods regardles=

s of

the potential for degrading the health of the consumer.

> How many hundreds of pounds of microwaved food per capita is consumed

in America each year?

> Are we going to continue to take it from established authority, without

question, on the premise that they know best?

>

>

>

>

> Terms of Service.