I thought some of my readers in the Greater Grand Rapids Area might be interested in two presentations by Dr. Michael Greger. Please find out more about the two presentations "Stopping Cancer Before It Starts" and "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" by reading the enclosed press release. His visit to Grand Rapids is sponsored by Calvin College’s Biology and Philosophy Departments, Office of Community Engagement/ Provost’s Office and the Contextual Disciplines Division in collaboration with Farms Without Harm.
March 28, 2007 Media Contact: Gail Philbin 616-558-6490
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Health Expert Sees Link in Rise of Cancer, Bird Flu and Cheap Food
Grand Rapids, Mich. – What do cancer, bird flu and cheap food have in common? They all have roots in the chemical-dependent, industrial approach to farming that has dominated our food supply for more than three decades, according to international public health expert and author Michael Greger, M.D.
In two public appearances in Grand Rapids, Dr. Greger, director of public health and animal agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, will discuss the link between the profit-motivated way we raise animals today and the rising cancer rates and increased bird flu incidence worldwide.
Dr. Greger is author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, (Lantern Books, 2006) and Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America's Low-carb Craze, (Lantern Books, 2005). On Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m., Dr. Greger will discuss the benefits of a plant-based diet in protecting against cancer in “Stopping Cancer Before It Starts” at the Wealthy Theater, 1130 Wealthy SE, Grand Rapids. Suggested admission is $5.
On Friday, April 20, at 7 p.m., he will discuss the role of animal factory farms in the potential for a global bird flu pandemic in “Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching.” The free talk, which is based on his book of the same name, takes place at the Calvin Theological Seminary Auditorium, 3323 Burton SE, Grand Rapids.
Ninety-nine percent of the meat we eat is the product of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), a large-scale approach to raising animals that rose to prominence in the decades after World War II. According to Dr. Greger, it’s no coincidence that the increase of these unnatural, industrial-sized operations has been accompanied by a rise in cancer and bird flu. To maximize profits, poultry CAFO operators, for example, cram thousands of birds in cages under one roof and ignore basic needs like access to fresh air and exercise. To stave off disease and encourage growth, they feed the animals huge amounts of antibiotics and hormones. These methods, common to all kinds of industrial animal agriculture, create perfect breeding
grounds for the bird flu virus and poison our food supply with a host of chemicals and unnatural substances that contribute to or cause a variety of health problems including cancer, according to Dr. Greger. (Currently, Michigan has more than 200 CAFOs, and the number continues to grow.)
Dr. Greger is a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition and a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. A graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine, he speaks regularly at symposia, conferences,
and universities in the United States and around the world. He has presented at the Conference on World Affairs, National Institutes of Health, and the Bird Flu Summit, and participated in the 2006 Department of Homeland Security Pandemic Influenza Tabletop Exercise. As the chief medical investigator for Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection organization, Dr. Greger debated the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association director before the Food and Drug Administration and was invited as an expert witness to defend Oprah Winfrey in her infamous “meat defamation trial” in 1998.
While in Grand Rapids, Dr. Greger will address a group of third- and fourth-year students in a Calvin College biology seminar and meet with county public health officials from around the state in an event hosted by the Kent County Health Department. His visit to Grand Rapids is sponsored
by Calvin College’s Biology and Philosophy Departments, Office of Community Engagement/ Provost’s Office and the Contextual Disciplines Division in collaboration with Farms Without Harm. Farms Without Harm is a Grand Rapids-based, non-profit network of concerned citizens, groups and small farmers that supports safe, sustainable farming in Michigan. Founded in 2005, it seeks to educate the public about the negative impact of factory farms on our health, the environment, local economy and animal welfare and offer sustainable, local alternatives to the industrial food supply.
For details, visit www.farmswithoutharm.org or call 616-558-6490. For more information about Dr. Greger, visit www.drgreger.com. His book, “Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching,” is available free in its entirety at BirdFluBook.org.
Note: Dr. Greger is available for phone interviews. Contact him at 301-258-3110
or cell 240-252-8078 or email mgreger@hsus.org.
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