CG198 2008-01 Common Ground Magazine

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by  Common Ground Publishing Corporation

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JANUARY 2008 . . 3
t
The New Yearth
www.commonground.ca 2008 International Year of the Potato,
Reef, Languages and Planet Earth on page 26
Publisher & Senior Editor - Joseph Roberts
Comptroller - Rajesh Chawla
Managing Editor - Sonya Weir IN EVERY ISSUE
Production Manager - Kris Kozak

Contributors:
Robert Alstead, Alan Cassels, Victoria CULTURE
Castle, Guy Dauncey, Adrien Dilon, Carolyn
Herriot, Stacy Malkin, Vesanto Melina, Faisal
Moola, Geoff Olson, Gwen Randall-Young,
Joseph Roberts, Joanne Sales, David Suzuki, Coming of age ............................................................... 30
Eckhart Tolle
FILMS WORTH WATCHING Robert Alstead
Sales - Head office 604-733-2215
toll-free 1-800-365-8897
ENVIRONMENT
Contact Common Ground:
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SPECIAL FEATURE
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Advertising: [email protected]
Getting to know our planet ..........................................20
Editorial: [email protected]
Stop Gateway at the source: SCIENCE MATTERS David Suzuki
Common Ground Publishing Corp.
204-4381 Fraser St. Say no to Deltaport Terminal 2 ...................................21
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againstportexpansion.org The carbon years ..........................................................20
100% owned and operated by Canadians.
Published 12 times a year in Canada. EARTHFUTURE Guy Dauncey
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40011171 FEATURES
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to
Circulation Dept. 204-4381 Fraser St. HEALTH
Vancouver, BC V5V 4G4
ISSN No. 0824-0698 Not just a pretty face: Ugly side of cosmetics ..........6
Copies printed: 70,000 Stacy Malkin Mastering mindful eating .............................................11
Over 250,000 readers per issue
NUTRISPEAK Vesanto Melina
Survey shows 3 to 4 readers/copy.
Pharmaspeak
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Tricks to make drugs sound effective .........................8 ORGANICS
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Alan Cassels
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All contents copyrighted. Written permis-
Little pea secrets ..........................................................15
sion from the publisher is required to repro-
duce, quote, reprint, or copy any material The inner dinner party and Power of Now ...............12 ON THE GARDEN PATH Carolyn Herriot
from Common Ground. Opinions and views
expressed in the articles do not necessarily Joanne Sales
reflect those of the publishers or advertisers.
Common Ground Publishing Corp. neither SPIRITUALITY
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all products or services advertised or within Codex: Time bomb to natural health .........................14
editorial content. Furthermore, health-related
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from a health professional. Advertisers are Belonging – are you in or out? ...................................16 POWER OF NOW Eckhart Tolle
solely responsible for their claims.
Victoria Castle
Photo: Stefan Hermans | Design: Kris Kozak
The time of our lives....................19
Movies that change the world .................................. 25 UNIVERSE WITHIN Gwen Randall-Young
Joseph Roberts
RESOURCE DIRECTORY ................................................31
The New Yearth ............................................................26 DATEBOOK .....................................................................40
CLASSIFIED ....................................................................41
Seeing things or not? .................................................. 28 ON TRACK ZODIAC .......................................................42
Geoff Olson
H.A.N.S.
BRITISH COLUMBIA’S “NATIONAL TRUST”
4 . . JANUARY 2008
JANUARY 2008 . . 5
not
by Stacy Malkin
a
just
face
As if there weren’t enough concerns about the toxicity of
cosmetic chemicals, manufacturers are rushing to incorporate
nanotechnology that uses particles 80,000 times smaller
than the width of a human hair… in one of the most dramatic
failures of regulation since the introduction of asbestos.
W
ith no safety framework and “In one of the most dramatic failures petition, as illustrated in a San Fran- What Should I Buy?
little government oversight, of regulation since the introduction of cisco Chronicle story. “I don’t think “Just tell me which ingredients to
the cosmetics industry is asbestos, corporations around the world there’s anything to worry about,” Dr. avoid.” It’s the most common reaction
operating in a virtual Wild West. And are rapidly introducing thousands of tons John Bailey from the cosmetics indus- people have upon hearing about the toxic
the West has gotten wilder still. of nanomaterials into the environment try trade association told the Chronicle. cosmetic problem. Naturally, everyone
As if there weren’t enough concerns and onto the faces and hands of hun- “All of the safety questions have been wants the quick fix, the easy shopping
about the toxicity of cosmetic chemicals, dreds of millions of people, despite the answered…” he said. FDA spokeswom- list. But unfortunately, it doesn’t exist.
manufacturers are rushing to incorpo- growing body of evidence indicating that an Susan Cruzan said the agency has “The list of chemicals we know are toxic
rate nanotechnology that uses particles nanomaterials can be toxic for humans no evidence that nanoparticles in prod- or contaminated is already too long for
80,000 times smaller than the width of and the environment,” said a May 2006 ucts pose hazards. Revlon and L’Oréal anyone to do an easy label check at the
a human hair. Nanotechnology has been report by Friends of the Earth. The group did not respond to the reporter’s calls store,” according to Alex Gorman, direc-
touted as the next revolution in cosmetics filed the first-ever legal challenge on the seeking comment. Estée Lauder spokes- tor of science and research at Women’s
and packaging. However nanoparticles, potential health impacts of nanotechnol- woman Janet Bartucci said the company Voices for the Earth. “And there are so
being so tiny, have the potential to pen- ogy in a 2006 petition to FDA, demand- would review the Friends of the Earth many that should be on the list purely
etrate unusually deeply into the skin and ing that the agency monitor and regulate report, and gave assurances that “… because we don’t know anything about
organs, causing exotic physical effects. nano-particles in cosmetics. consumer safety has always been a top them. I wish I had more advice on this
Animal studies show that some Hundreds of personal care products priority at the Estée Lauder Companies.” because I’ve struggled with it before and
nanoparticles can penetrate cells and tis- already contain nano-sized ingredients Lisa Archer from Friends of the Earth have never come up with a satisfying
sues, move through the body and brain and thousands more contain ingredients said she thinks corporations should “… answer for folks asking the question.”
and cause biochemical damage. As one that are available in nano form but don’t stop treating their customers like guinea The ultimate answer, she said, is changing
example, carbon fullerenes – also called include information about particle size pigs” by putting nano-particles into per- the law to require cosmetics companies to
buckyballs, and currently being used on the labels, according to a Skin Deep sonal care products before the materials use the safest ingredients possible.
in some moisturizers – can cause brain analysis. Since nano-sized ingredients are proven safe. Until then, consumers can make more
damage in fish, and even low levels of are absorbed differently into the body, In the absence of federal regula- educated choices by using the Skin Deep
exposure can be toxic to human liver they require separate safety studies. But tions, some cities are trying to get a database [www.cosmeticdatabase.com]
cells. The health impacts of nanomateri- as Jane Houlihan noted, “Manufacturers handle on the situation. Berkeley, Cali- and many are. The database gets about
als in cosmetics and sunscreens remain seem to be following the pattern they fornia, became the first city to regulate one million product searches per month.
largely unknown, pending completion established with conventional chemical nanotechnology in December 2006 and With its 2007 update, Skin Deep now
of long-range studies that have only ingredients – put poorly tested chemi- other cities may follow suit. Under the offers brand-by-brand comparisons of
recently begun. But that’s not stopping cals into personal care products and do Berkeley law, companies and research more than 30,000 products, about one
the cosmetics industry from leading the the science later, if at all.” labs that make or use nanoparticles must third of the market. “It’s been such a
charge to incorporate the inadequately The by-now familiar debate about disclose that fact to the city government, great tool,” Jane Houlihan said. “People
tested technology into products we put cosmetics safety played out in the press and provide information about known use it to shop. Companies are using it
on our faces and in our hair. coverage of the Friends of the Earth health or safety risks. to reformulate.” She never could have
6 . . JANUARY 2008
HEALTH
a
pretty
face
The side effects of
cosmetic chemicals
guessed… that her database would be
such a lightening rod, nor did she know Skin Deeper Still
it would be a never-ending project.
“We’ll be updating it every year,” Daily dose:
Jane said, “… always pulling the latest How many personal care products
toxicity databases, always adding more did you use this morning? Sham-
products.” The staff at EWG – now poo, deodorant, lotion, makeup
including a chemist and medical doctor – the average woman uses a dozen
– continue to plug in new information, personal care products containing
guided by a simple vision that is not so 168 chemical ingredients every
simple to carry out in the real world: “I day. Men use about six products a
want to walk into any store, anywhere day containing 85 chemicals. We
and buy any product without having to absorb, inhale and ingest many of
ATTENTION
worry if it’s safe for my wife and kids,” these chemicals into our bodies.
said staffer Sean Gray. ALL WOMEN!
Getting there will take more than a Nanoemulsions in shampoo encap-
database. Skin Deep is “… the begin- sulate active ingredients and carry
Do you have any of
nings of something empowering,” said them deeper into hair shafts.
the following symptoms?
EWG staffer Hema Subramanian. “But Nanosomes of Pro-Retinol A pen-
• PMS These are only a few of the symptoms related to
how impossible is it for a mom with etrate the skin’s surface to soften
• Anxiety hormonal imbalance. Synthetic Hormone
three kids on her arm to try to look wrinkles and reduce the appearance • Irritability Replacement Therapy or Birth Control Pills
everything up on a database and remem- of fine neck creases. • Mood swings are not the answer.
ber ingredients in the store? How do Nanovectors transport and concen- • Insomnia Alternative Hormone Solutions is a clinic of
you make good choices without enough trate active ingredients in the skin. • “Foggy” thinking Registered Nurses specialized in treating
information out there?” Her experience • Heavy periods premenstrual, perimenopausal and menopausal
with Skin Deep has made her a true • Breast tenderness hormonal imbalances naturally. If you are sick and
tired of feeling sick and tired, book your appoint-
• Cyclic Headaches
believer in the need to reform govern- Excerpted from Not Just a Pretty ment now. It is time to start enjoying life!
• Fatigue
ment policies. “This is too overwhelm- Face: the Ugly Side of the Beauty Indus- • Decreased Libido Vancouver: 604-738-3999
ing for a staff of five in a nonprofit with try Copyright © 2007 by Stacy Malkin,
• Weight gain Surrey: 604-930-1106
a $3 million budget,” she said. “There’s New Society Publishers. Stacy Malkin (abdomen, hips,
Telephone Consultations also available
too much responsibility placed outside is communications director of Health thighs)
if outside the Lower Mainland
of government. Companies need to be Care Without Harm and cofounder of
[email protected]
required to do more work on the front the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, www.
www.alternativehormonesolutions.ca
end to make products safer.” safecosmetics.org
JANUARY 2008 . . 7
Pharmaspeak
HEALTH

Tricks to make drugs sound effective
DRUG BUST Alan Cassels
T
he philosopher Ludwig Witt- by to tell me what an “effective” drug
genstein proposed, “The limits is, they might say, “Oh, it’s something
of my language mean the limits that works” or that “It works much of
of my world,” an intriguing proposition, the time.” If I were to go further and
begging the question: “Do our words ask them to quantify what this means, I
shape the way we think about things?” expect most people would say, “Well, it
It’s a question at the centre of a 50- works between 80 to 90 percent of the
Over 20 Years of Excellence year-old, controversial hypothesis, ini- time.” In other words, effective to them
in TCM Education tiated when the concept of “linguistic means most of the time.
determinism” hit the scientific world. But, as Ralph reminded me, when
Diploma programs towards:
You can’t deny that words shape our you step from there into a hospital or a
aDoctor of TCM experiences and that there are some situa- doctor’s clinic and find out how medi-
aLicensed TCMP tions, such as our health, where precision cal people define the word effective,
aLicensed Acupuncturist in how we use words is indescribably you’re in for a surprise. As a doctor, he’s
important. Does the carelessness with immersed in a world that sees effective-
aLicensed TCM Herbalist
which we sometimes speak affect how ness defined not as something that works
1 Year Certificate Program we think and what we expect from our most of the time, but something that is
aChinese Tui-Na Massage
Who wouldn’t swallow an effective, breakthrough drug
January 7, 2008
to prevent heart attacks if you thought it worked 80 to 90
percent of the time? The fact it only works (i.e. prevents you
from dying of a heart attack) only three and a half percent of
the time is the version of effectiveness the drug companies
don’t want you to see.
physicians and our healthcare system? statistically probable: it didn’t happen by they? The most impressive benefits are
I was reminded of this burning ques- chance 19 times out of 20 as the media found with the cholesterol-lowering drug
tion by Dr. Ralph Fagotter, a friend and likes to report. This is called the “95 per- simvastatin (Zocor), initially studied in
family physician in South Australia. He cent confidence interval,” which means 4,444 Scandinavians with established
runs a busy general practice but finds that if you were to do the same experi- heart disease. Of the people on placebo,
time to tend several acres of ginkgo ment 20 times, you can be confident 8.5 percent of them died of a heart attack
biloba trees and philosophize on his little you’ll get a similar result, plus or minus over 5.4 years. For those who took the
plantation north of Adelaide. He takes a few percentage points, 19 times. drug, only five percent died of a heart
the time to think deeply about medicine In medical research, we try to deter- attack. A difference of 3.5 percent. For
and his own place in it. Writing in a late- mine the discrepancies between what we most cholesterol drugs, in this high risk
night email last month, he asked, “Imag- expect and what we observe when we population the best you could hope for
ine what it would be like if the word give a drug to people. To do this, we take is about a one to three percent differ-
kilometre meant 100 metres when used a group of similar people and randomly ence. Who wouldn’t swallow an effec-
in one context and 1,000 metres when assign a drug to some and a placebo – an tive, breakthrough drug to prevent heart
used in another context?” inactive substance – to others. Then we attacks if you thought it worked 80 to
Ralph continued: “Well, there would watch and wait. At the end of the study, 90 percent of the time? The fact it only
be public outrage at the stupidity and we determine if those in the drug group works (i.e. prevents you from dying of a
disastrous imprecision of it all wouldn’t did better or worse than those in the heart attack) only three and a half per-
there? An expert committee would placebo group. And if the observed dif- cent of the time is the version of effec-
April 13 & 27, 2006 quickly be appointed to redefine and ferences are statistically significant, we tiveness the drug companies don’t want
clarify the meaning of the word kilome- deem the treatment effective. But that you to see. That’s why you rarely see it.
tre and everyone would have to accept doesn’t tell us how effective it is. Hmm. Ninety percent versus 3.5 per-
January 3, 10, 17, 24, 2008
the standard meaning.” What is implied, What we really need to know is how cent? Is this really true?
of course, is that confusion would reign strong that effect is. In other words, did There are many other tricks to make
and we simply couldn’t live in the result- it help one person in 10 (10 percent), that effectiveness of drugs sound impres-
ing chaos of double meanings. one person in 100 (1.0 percent) or one in sive. If you take alendronate (Fosamax),
Yet Ralph’s late-night monologue a thousand (0.1 percent)? Let’s look at a the most frequently prescribed drug for
invoked the fact that we do this in the couple of examples to see how effective osteoporosis, you can be excused for
medical world all the time, changing the a drug deemed effective really is. thinking it lowered your risk of a hip
meaning assigned to the same word. If I Taken daily, cholesterol-lowering fracture by 50 percent. That’s what the
were to stand on a street corner in Victo- drugs will lower your risk of a heart ads targeted to doctors claimed. Fifty
ria and ask a sample of people walking attack or stroke. But how effective are percent is a most impressive claim,
8 . . JANUARY 2008
which means that half the women taking es) could not discern any difference. In
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legally as being “significant” and “effec- use of the words or the everyday way we the green room www.greenroomhealing.com
tive,” when, in fact, 99 percent of the think of those concepts.
women who took that drug had no effect So how long is a kilometre? Can it
whatsoever. They wasted their money, be 100 metres one moment and 1,000�
exposed themselves to the adverse effects metres the next? Of course not. So
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of the drug and saw no benefit. don’t let this happen when talking about
We often also see the misuse of the effective or significant drugs. The resul�t
word “significant.” We’ll hear about a is that people are hopelessly and some��-
drug having a “significant effect over times utterly confused as to the power of
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placebo” and we think that it works a lot the medicine they’re taking, thinking a
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These drug effects can be shown to be statistically significant,
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but the effects are ultimately meaningless.
Volunteers for Clinical Trial
better than nothing, right? But the word drug is much more powerful than it is.
significant is also used to mean statisti- We waste money on those drugs, expose
cally significant, meaning, as we have people to side effects and eschew more
Re: a Breakthrough Nutritional Supplement
seen, that the difference couldn’t have natural treatments.
happened by chance. But that doesn’t So throughout 2008, let’s all practise shown effective with several health concerns
mean it works. more precision in our language. If your in USA for last 6 years
When the first major drug for doctor tells you something is effective, We need participants for a 12-week study who are
Alzheimer’s disease hit the market, the ask him how effective it is over placebo 40-90 years old and have one or more of the following
VP of research and development for the and ask him to spell it out in precise, High Blood Pressure Diabetes and complications
company stated, “Aricept represents a numerical terms. Ask how that drug’s Angina Congestive Heart Failure
significant step forward in addressing effects compare to the rates of side effects Clogged Arteries Irregular Heart Beat
the therapeutic needs of the Alzheimer’s and likely adverse effects and so on. High Cholesterol Poor Circulation
disease community.” But did that mean In other words, make sure you and
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patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the actually 1,000.
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differences, deemed statistically signifi-
cant in the cognitive scores, was three Alan Cassels is a pharmaceutical Placements are limited. If interested Contact:
points out of a total of 70. policy researcher at the University of Sharon Harris 604-540-9302 or 866-295-5300
Did that three-point difference mean Victoria and frequent commentator on or Tony Knudson 604-540-9304 or 866-295-5305
anything to those people? Did it help prescription drug issues. He is author
them live independently? Not at all. In of a new book, The ABCs of Disease
fact, despite the average improvement Mongering: An Epidemic in 26 Letters
of three points, caregivers (e.g. spous- (Emdash, 2007).
JANUARY 2008 . . 9
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L I V E R
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10 . . JANUARY 2008