The Dangers of Weedkiller: Why We Can No Longer Ignore Glyphosate
Maybe you’ve heard it in the news recently – glyphosate has been in a number of legal cases worldwide and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down. This is good news, since glyphosate (also known as Roundup) is an herbicide (a weedkiller) that has infiltrated every aspect of our water and food systems and is wreaking havoc on human health.
The producer of glyphosate – the corporate giant Monsanto – has been in denial of the harmful effects of their key product on human health for decades. There was even a point in time where marketing taglines used for Roundup included misleading and downright false claims, including that is was:
- Biodegradable
- Safer than table salt
- Practically non-toxic
- Stayed where you put it
Fortunately, in 1996 the New York attorney general sued Monsanto and forced them to stop using such dangerous claims.
But this isn’t enough.
More and more research is indicating that glyphosate is carcinogenic, an endocrine disruptor, harmful to the gut microbiome, and that it damages DNA in human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cord cells. Glyphosate levels are also associated with autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In animal studies, glyphosate has been linked to birth defects and reproductive issues. This growing body of research is seriously concerning.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Recently, California has been trying to label Roundup as carcinogenic, but has been blocked by a Judge.
Currently, there is an open case where a man from California is suing Monsanto for causing his cancer. Not only will DeWayne Johnson be the first man to take Monsanto to court for causing his cancer, the Judge recently issued an game-changing order to the jurors. This order states that they should not only consider if Monsanto’s Roundup caused Mr. Johnson’s cancer, but if Monsanto has been hiding the risks of its product.
This is a case worth paying attention to because it could shift the winds against Monsanto.
Glyphosate is Now Everywhere
One of the major reasons glyphosate has become such a problem is that it is water soluble. In nature, most toxins are fat soluble – this is arguably nature’s way of protecting us. Fat soluble substances need fat to move, and there is far less fat in the world than water. On the other hand, water soluble substances move through anything with water:
- Rivers
- Groundwater
- Drinking water
- Oceans
- Rain
- Fog
- Water in your body
Water is everywhere – and with it comes water soluble glyphosate. Glyphosate is now found in all types of water sources. Yes, now you can even breathe in Roundup.
In a recent study, glyphosate was found in tea products and urine of those sampled – levels were especially high those who recently consumed tea. Of the different food and beverage products examined, this study found glyphosate to be highest in tea, coffee powder, and honey.
5 Ways to Reduce Glyphosate Exposure
At this point, you’re probably wondering how you can reduce your glyphosate exposure. This is an effort everyone of us should be making in our lives. Not only because it’s important to your health, but because it puts demands on the market. Together we can demand the removal of glyphosate from our food system.
- Don’t use roundup – This may seem obvious now, but it’s still so important. Backpacks of Roundup can be found in most Americans’ garage’s. This weed killer became hugely popular in homes when Monsanto portrayed it as manly in its marketing campaign of the 90’s. Perhaps you remember? These commercials showed men coming out of their garages like cowboys in the wild West, shooting down dandelions in their driveways with Roundup in their holsters. These marketing tactics worked all too well, and Roundup quickly saturated the American household market. Avoid using Roundup and spread the word among your friends family. Reducing glyphosate levels globally is going to require a massive, community effort.
- Eat only organic – Not only does eating organic reduce your glyphosate exposure, it also adds to the demand for foods that don’t use glyphosate, and that’s a double win. It’s important to eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, but you need to be especially careful with meat and dairy products. Animals that are fed genetically modified organism (GMO) corn and feed that’s been sprayed in glyphosate, pass the contents on to you. Often these glyphosate levels exist in higher concentrations due to bioaccumulation.
- Avoid GMO food – Organic means non-GMO but this is worth bringing to your attention for another reason. GMO foods usually contain glyphosate because they are genetically modified to survive being sprayed. Most of our corn and soybeans are now GMO, so avoiding GMOs means you’ll need to check the ingredients of anything processed, to look for corn and soybean oils, along with other byproducts.
- Grow and cook your own food – Growing and cooking your own food is perhaps the best way you can reduce your glyphosate levels because you have complete control over everything you put in your body. When you eat out, it’s hard to know what oils and other elements are being used that aren’t obvious.
- Take Restore – Restore is a liquid mineral supplement developed by Zach Bush, MD to help the microbes of the gut communicate better. Restore helps tighten the junctions of the gut and protects you from the harmful effects of glyphosate.
Cutting Edge Tips to Detox Glyphosate
Most important tip is to EAT ORGANIC and non-GMO foods and avoid exposure. Other ways support detoxification from glyphosate include:
- Humic and fulvic acids – These are minerals found in soil that can help improve detoxification and restore nutrient deficiencies in the body through improving digestion.
- Clinoptilolite – This is a natural zeolite, which is found in volcanic rocks. This works much like charcoal through binding to toxins and removing accumulation.
- Digeodren granules – This homeopathic supplement is for liver detoxification and improves digestion.
- Probiotics that are capable a fully metabolizing glyphosate – Primarily acetobacter, which is found in apple cider vinegar and sauerkraut.
- Spore probiotics – Megaspore specifically supplies bacteria beneficial to glyphosate detoxification.
- Restore – Restore is a supplement that uses carbon-based redox molecules from soil to help restore communication between mitochondria, cells, and bacteria. Specifically, restore was developed to help support glyphosate detoxification.
If you want to learn more about glyphosate, I recommend following Zach Bush, MD and checking out the documentary GMO Revealed. I am a huge fan of Zach Bush’s work and am excited to hear more about his findings on the synergistic relationship between gluten and glyphosate. This could be a major reason gluten intolerance is on the rise in America. I will be sure to keep you up to date on this – stay tuned!
Resources:
https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/fraud.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28223908
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0133525