Several inventions have advanced the explosive growth of mass media. The printing press, teletype, radio and TV, and certainly not least, the Internet. Many private industries take advantage of these inventions to further the causes that make them money. PR, entertainment, health; these businesses have all benefited from the Orwellian reach of technology. Consequently, propaganda has become geometrically easier to spread using these media. But it’s much sadder when it’s your own government fertilizing the fields with disinformation.
However, with the invention of the Internet, concerned citizens worldwide have a shot at leveling the playing field. The multi-billion dollar food and health industries have some illustrative examples of people questioning the status quo via alternative media sources. While several instances come to mind, today’s short rant focuses on the “Soy Craze”.
Blessed by the Federal Death Administration (FDA to some), soybeans and their protein isolate derivatives have infiltrated nearly every level of food production. Non-breastfed infants, veggies/vegans, and the lactose intolerant are especially prone to the inevitability and seductive lure of this humble legume. Forget what you know for a moment, or rather what you’ve been told about soy’s high quality protein and cancer preventing qualities.
What if feeding soy to infants and children accelerated the onset of puberty? What if soy consumption depressed thyroid function and could be attributed to increased cases of Alzheimer’s in elderly Japanese-Americans? What if the use of soy protein in human foods was never actually granted the Generally Recognized As Safe designation by the FDA.
Doctors and others who argued for lengthier and better studies of the bean’s effects were overruled. Here’s where the Internet comes to the rescue. Many websites aim to tell the whole truth about soy. Two I’ve recently visited standout.
Dr. Mercola’s site shares a wealth of knowledge about myriad health issues. His page dedicated to the dangers of soy has numerous, in-depth links that unravel the fallacious web of half-truths, lies, and omissions perpetrated by the soybean industry and the FDA. Soy Online Service is a cross-continental affiliation of individuals whose aim is to educate the public about soy-related problems.
If you have any interest in health matters I urge you to visit these two websites. The FDA and the soybean cartel have made damn sure that mainstream media only present the (dubious) benefits of soy. It’s up to the public to research the whole truth and use it to make informed decisions about their health.
