The Microwave Oven - is it Safe?

I have enough concerns that I don’t use a microwave oven at my house for the following reasons.

Conventional cooking processes work through the transfer of heat from the source (burner, oven, flame) to the food. Microwaves heat food by causing the molecules in the food to rub against each other causing friction.

In 1991 a woman that had hip surgery died because the blood given to her for a transfusion was warmed in a microwave. Blood is normally warmed before a transfusion, but not in a microwave. The microwave altered the blood and it killed the woman.

Other issues:

the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture said broccoli "zapped" in the microwave lost up to 97 percent of the beneficial antioxidant chemicals it contains.
when microwaving, carcinogenic toxins might be leached from your plastic and paper plates or covers and get into your food.
microwaving can break down the disease-fighting ability of breast milk to protect your baby.

Safety Studies?

Have you read any studies on whether or not eating food cooked in a microwave is healthy? There doesn't seem to be many of them.

There was a study done in 1991 by Dr. Hans Hertel in Switzerland and a research paper put out indicating that food cooked in microwave ovens could pose a risk to your health.

He was the first scientist to conduct a clinical study on the effects microwaved food has on the blood and physiology of the body. This study showed the degenerative force produced in microwave ovens and the food processed in them.

The scientific conclusion showed that microwave cooking changed the nutrients in the food and changes took place in the participants blood.

But I’ve never heard of this study, you might say (well, you might).

In 1992 A powerful trade organization, known as FEA, managed to get a gag order on the study. After fighting for 6 years, Dr. Hertel was vindicated, recompensed, and the gag order lifted.

By then:

microwaves were common place
other scientists had gotten the message to back away and
now (almost) everyone unknowingly uses microwaves to heat their food.

Alternatives to Using Microwaves

Microwaves are very handy, especially for leftovers, but in my opinion not worth the health risk. One alternative to the microwave is a turbo oven, sold at the following link.

The Turbo Oven

Other alternatives to a microwave are:

convection ovens
using a vitamix or juicer,
or you could try this...my double boiler was too slow, so I took a drill and put a bunch of holes in it and now use it as a modified steamer. It heats food quickly and also keeps it moist.

My Recommendation

You should consider carefully whether the convenience of microwaves are worth the possible health risks associated with them.

Be aware, think for yourself, and take control of your own health!

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