As with most issues, you will ultimately have to decide for yourself.

While Dr. Mercola may have a disclaimer on his site that makes it easy to discount his opinion, WHO is behind the highly controversial Codex Alimentarius and also the excessive hype about the swine flu. Besides, Dr. Mercola is reporting on the work of others which his disclaimer statement has no bearing on.

If you’d like to learn more about the destructive properties of the high frequency radiation used by microwave ovens, I suggest you read Electromagnetic Fields by B. Blake Levitt or Cross Currents by Robert Becker MD.

It’s well known that heat damages the nutrients in food, and microwave ovens heat food in a very intense way. Microwave ovens are only a convenience, and if you care enough about your health, it should be a convenience that you don’t mind sacrificing to avoid the risks that it may pose.

The extent to which heat damages food depends on the temperature and duration of exposure. The best way to cook food is with low heat which requires a longer duration. This is not possible with a microwave oven, and as such, I definitely don’t believe that “food cooked in a microwave oven is as safe, and has the same nutrient value, as food cooked in a conventional oven.”

“Food cooked in a microwave oven is as safe, and has the same nutrient value, as food cooked in a conventional oven. The main difference between these two methods of cooking is that microwave energy penetrates deeper into the food and reduces the time for heat to be conducted throughout the food, thus reducing the overall cooking time. ”
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/info_microwaves/en/

so who should i believe?

“The World Health Organization (WHO), through the International EMF Project, has established a programme to review research results and conduct risk assessments of exposure to electromagnetic fields in the range from 0 to 300 GHz. Health risks from EMF exposure are being evaluated by WHO in collaboration with ICNIRP. ”

while Mercola.com says this:
THE WEB SITE AND THE MATERIAL ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MERCOLA.COM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTIES RIGHTS AND THE WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ALTHOUGH AMF DESIRES TO PROVIDE COMPLETE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION AND MATERIALS ON ITS WEB SITE, AMF MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ABOUT THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, COMPLETENESS OR TIMELINESS OF THE INFORMATION, MATERIAL, SERVICES, SOFTWARE, TEXT, GRAPHICS AND LINKS FOUND AT THE WEB SITE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL MERCOLA.COM OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE UNDER CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER LEGAL THEORY: (A) WITH RESPECT TO THE SITE, THE SERVICE OR ANY CONTENT FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES (HOWEVER ARISING), OR (B) FOR ANY DIRECT DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF (IN THE AGGREGATE) $100. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Thanks for your comment and thanks for sharing a great (and alarming) example of how microwave ovens cook our food so differently than a conventional oven. I agree that modern technology is often embraced much to eagerly without adequately assessing the impact that it might have on health and the environment.

When I wrote this article, I looked further into the Norma Levitt case regarding the transfusion with the microwaved blood. It is true that Norma Levitt received a transfusion of microwaved blood following a routine hip surgery and died shortly after, but the jury ruled in favor of the defendant’s claim that the death was caused by a blood clot. Based on this, I didn’t include the case in the article, but I do suspect that the microwaving of the blood did play a role. I don’t think there’s any argument about a microwave oven changing the nature of blood, and in my opinion, that’s more than enough evidence to question it’s safety. Here’s the actual court documentation Norma Levitt case.

The things that really concerned me the first time, was when I heated water to make a cup of instant coffee (not that I drink that anymore!). …anyway, for anybody reading this, give this a try:

Boil water by normal means (pot, kettle), poor it in a cup and then put in a teaspoon of instant coffee. …nothing much happens. It goes in, you stir it and you have a ‘coffee coloured’ drink.

Now, heat up water in a cup in the microwave so it’s either boiling or as close as you can get it. Take it out and put in your tea spoon of instant coffee and see what happens!?

When I last tried this the coffee almost fizzed and bubbled and reacted very differently to the ‘normally’ boiled water. Something just seemed so odd to me and was enough for me to question microwave ovens.

I also read something about a patient dying after being the recipient of a blood transfusion once, from blood that was warmed with a microwave oven. Don’t actually know if it’s true mind you?? …it wouldn’t surprise me though.

My personal view is that the ‘convenience’ of modern technology, quite often has more devastating long term effects that are too easily overlooked when considering the short term benefits.

Just my 2 cents.

The following two articles from Dr. Mercola’s website discuss some of the research indicating how microwave ovens transform nutrients into dangerous compounds.

The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking
The Proven Dangers of Microwaves

You should consider the fact that most modern research is driven by big industry. If there’s no profit based incentive behind the research, it usually doesn’t get done. Furthermore, much of the research done today is conducted by the same institutions that benefit from it which is a major conflict of interest.

There’s not a lot of profit incentive to do research that will show how bad microwaved food is for your health. Who would fund it? Certainly not the appliance industry!

I’m sorry that you regard my content as unreliable. My primary motivation is to help people improve their health through common sense. We obviously didn’t evolve on microwaved food, and the potential for microwaving (or any other form of extreme cooking) to alter food should be pretty obvious. Please keep in mind that I’m not trying to force anyone to share my opinions, but instead, am trying to help them develop their own.

It comes down to a choice that we all have to make. Do we sacrifice convenience and live according to the natural habits that got us here, or do we opt for convenience at the risk of science having failed at outsmarting nature? Perhaps so many people are unwilling to believe the risks associated with microwave ovens because what they’re really unwilling to do is give up the convenience.

I could like this blog, but it’s sad to see such unreliable and un-backed up statements on it.