Earlier this year, I attended a
seminar on Natural Farming, which introduced me to the fundamental differences between
conventional and natural farming methods.
It was a very informative 3-day
event, but what I found startling was when the speaker, Andry Lim, said half-in-jest
that the usual practice in conventional poultry-raising – the injection of
alarming doses of growth hormones in chickens, namely estrogen – may be causing
premature physiological advances and homosexuality among our children.
It was shocking, to say the least, but
I nonchalantly dismissed it since I’ve never heard of, or read about any hard
facts on such issues. But now comes this
new study.
You may have already known about it. I’m talking about the recent study released by
the American Academy of Pediatrics which suggests that boys are entering
puberty earlier now than several decades ago — or at least earlier than the
time frame doctors have historically used as a benchmark.
The study, indicates that boys are
showing signs of puberty six months to two years earlier than was reported in
previous research in which 11 ½ was the general age puberty began in boys,
historically that is.
But then again, experts are wary
because studies in the past were of smaller scale or may have used different
approaches. They admit that it is no easy task to determine how much earlier
boys might be developing. Supposedly,
the study reflects research on girls which show earlier breast development than
in the past.
This study by the Academy of
Pediatrics does not propose answers to what might be causing earlier puberty,
although it mentioned changes in diet, less physical activity and other
environmental factors as possibilities. Experts said that without further
research, implications for boys remain nebulous.
African-American
boys, in this new study, show experiencing puberty earlier than whites and
Hispanics, a result that other studies have shown also applies to
African-American girls. Researchers said that difference is most likely driven
by the role of genes in puberty.
In The New York Times article, the
author, Pam Belluck, mentions a Dr.
Laura Bachrach, a professor of pediatric endocrinology at Stanford University, who
warns that the results of this new study should not prompt “a magazine cover
article that shows a 9-year-old boy shaving.”
Dr. Bachrach goes on to add, “And
because some parents fear that early puberty is related to more hormones in
milk — speculation that is unproven — I don’t want people to get up in arms and
rush out and buy organic milk,” she said. “When patients ask me, I say, ‘Do
that for political reasons or because you like the taste, but don’t do it
because you think it’s going to influence puberty.’ ”
“This should perhaps set a standard
going forward for being very attentive to puberty in boys and being mindful
that they’re developing earlier,” said Dolores J. Lamb, a molecular endocrinologist
at Baylor College of Medicine and president of the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine. She was not involved in the study.
Praising the study as well done, she
said, “Whether the difference is as large as what they say on some papers 40
years ago is not clear.” However, she added, “this is going to be incredibly
useful to pediatricians and urologists.”
The new study also found that
African-American boys began puberty earlier than whites and Hispanics, a result
that other studies have shown also applies to African-American girls.
Researchers said that difference is most likely driven by the role of genes in
puberty.
On average, black boys in the study
showed signs of puberty, primarily identified as growth of the testicles, at a
little older than 9, while white and Hispanic boys were a little older than 10.
Several experts said the study should
not be seized upon as cause for alarm, but rather as a way to help parents and
doctors gauge what to be aware of in boys’ development and whether to start
conversations about social issues sooner.
“It was an important study to do, and
their methodology is improved over prior studies in that they based their
assessment of puberty in boys on what I consider to be the gold standard: the
size of the testicles,” said Dr. Laura Bachrach, a professor of pediatric
endocrinology at Stanford University.
But the study should not prompt a
magazine “cover article that shows a 9-year-old boy shaving,” Dr. Bachrach
said. And because some parents fear that early puberty is related to more
hormones in milk — speculation that is unproven — “I don’t want people to get
up in arms and rush out and buy organic milk,” she said. “When patients ask me,
I say, ‘Do that for political reasons or because you like the taste, but don’t
do it because you think it’s going to influence puberty.’ ”
Thus, though scientifically
unconfirmed, the growth hormones infused in he livestock and chickens whose
meat we consume, as well as the pesticides in our food supplies, may in fact turn
out to be the insidious culprits that are quietly wreaking havoc in our
internal systems.
In this Natural Farming seminar I had
attended, on its final evening, there was a guest speaker who gave a brief
lecture on the adverse effects of chemicals to our environment and to
ourselves. Her name is Edna Sasing-Lao. She
is a Fellow, Biological Medicine; Diplomate, Chelation Therapy; Diploma in
Homeophathy, British Institute of Homeophaty; Member, American College for the
Advancement in Medicine; National Chancellor, PAMS-AIM; Trustee, Philippine
College for the Advancement in Medicine; and Past President, Philippine for the
Advancement in Medicine.
In her talk, she basically underscored
what Andry Lim had earlier claimed about estrogen as being a probable cause in
the increasing rate of homosexuality among our children. Dr. Lao claims sugar increases estradiol –
the most potent form of naturally-occurring estrogen in men – that can cause
homosexuality.
Goodness gracious! Milk, chicken and sugar happen
to be among the prime choices of our children when it comes to meals and snacks. What a tough world we are living in, indeed.
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