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The Harmful Effects of Glyphosate (and what YOU can do about it!)

The Healing Collective • Oct 06, 2023

Glyphosate Risks & What You can Do!

Our Functional Medicine Provider can Screen for Glyphosate Toxicity

Have you been eating a dangerous dose of poison without even knowing it?!

Glyphosate is a worldwide commonly used herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup™, as well as in many other herbicides.


Since the 1970s, we've seen a huge increase of a herbicide called glyphosate on our food crops - scientists estimate that over 150,000 tons are sprayed annually across America.

 

The amount of this herbicide used on agricultural crops has increased about 100-fold since it was first introduced in 1974, and 70% of Americans today have glyphosate showing up in their urine.

 

Is this widespread use of glyphosate something we should be worried about?



The Data is Conflicting, Concerning

Although the literature is somewhat conflicting, my review of the scientific papers reveals there are reasons for concern.

 

We need to wonder why many countries in Europe banned or heavily restricted the use of glyphosate?


Do they know something that people in the US don't know?


I am not one to point to political controversy but I simply have to wonder if the powers behind glyphosate have a lot to lose if the truth was known to the general public.


One fact is more than 100,000 cancer lawsuits have been filed in the US against the manufacturer of Roundup by people suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma who say the company's glyphosate-based herbicides are to blame for their disease. 


So far, 80% of all Roundup claims have been settled but there are still about 30,000 still active and pending

 

As noted above since the 70s, glyphosate has been the superhero of the agricultural world - but now it seems that its use has revealed some serious health effects.


Scientific medical papers are revealing that exposure to glyphosate increases the risk of a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41 percent. This is according to the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS).


In addition, after an assessment by the World Health Organization's IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer), glyphosate was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This put glyphosate in the same category as arsenic and asbestos. To put that in perspective, asbestos raises cancer risk by 28%.


Additional studies have linked glyphosate exposure to other chronic conditions and various types of cancer. In addition to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, renal tubule carcinoma, pancreatic islet-cell adenoma, and skin tumors have been noted. Glyphosate is also known to disrupt the balance of gut bacteria, reducing the ratio of beneficial to harmful bacteria.


Glyphosate and Heart Disease: Another Health Concern


Growing number of clinical studies have discovered glyphosate exposure to be a cause of many chronic health problems including heart disease.


It can enter the body by direct absorption through the skin, by eating foods treated with glyphosate, or by drinking water contaminated with glyphosate.


Some studies have shown cardiac electrophysiological changes associated to glyphosate.


Glyphosate exposure has been implicated as the potential cause of diffuse electrophysiological depolarization and repolarization conduction abnormalities, including prolonged QTc, intraventricular block, and AV conduction delay. These changes can lead to the development of life-threatening arrhythmias.


Some studies suggests that glyphosate has atherogenic potential, regardless of the concentration and route of exposure. It is recommended to considered testing your patients suffering cardiovascular challenges for glyphosate exposure.


I am now recommending that you consider ordering a more comprehensive Environmental Toxin Screen.

Glyphosate Testing

Treatment for Glyphosate Toxicity

There are several things you can do to minimize — and even eliminate — glyphosate contamination


The most effective way to reduce glyphosate exposure is to avoid living in areas where glyphosate is applied and to avoid eating GMO foods or animal products such as milk or meat for which GMO foods were used to feed the animals.


It must also be emphasized to eat organic produce!


The following should also be included in your glyphosate detox protocol:


  • Citrus pectin
  • Alginates (purified from kelp)
  • Glycine
  • Gingko biloba
  • Organic Iceland kelp
  • Probiotics and prebiotics
  • Infrared sauna


REFERENCES

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0748233721996578

https://www.heartrhythmcasereports.com

https://jphe.amegroups.com/article/view/3665/4415

https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/glyphosate-test

https://draxe.com/health/glyphosate-toxicity/

https://www.washington.edu/news/2019/02/13/uw-study-exposure-to-chemical-in-roundup-increases-risk-for-cancer/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34052177/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31342895/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7867956/

https://atm.amegroups.org/article/view/60115/html

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-020-00574-1

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20045496/



Article complements of Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP, of Functional Medicine University.


The information on this site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his Functional Medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.


We offer whole-person Functional and Integrative Medical care at The Healing Collective.  Contact us to schedule a free consult or to become a new patient at our clinic in Niwot, CO.  Learn more about our Functional Medicine providers!

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Happy Pride and Alzheimer's/Brain Awareness Month!

By Tracy Shulsinger • 01 Jun, 2024
This month has two very important celebrations that I would love to connect. Making connections is actually one of the strengths of the functional medicine detection process that guides us to the root causes of illness and toward healing! I now invite you to take a pause and ask yourself, what does pride in owning one’s sexual orientation as LGBTQ have to do with brain health and Alzheimer's Disease? As not to leave anyone out- if you identify as straight or heterosexual, what could having pride in yourself have to do with your brain health and Alzheimer's? An important connection that I would like to make involves the nervous system. The brain is a central component of the nervous system, along with the spinal cord and nerves. Our nervous system influences and controls many bodily functions and is also influenced and controlled by many factors. Our emotional state highly influences our nervous system. Individuals who do not feel accepted to be who they are without being judged, criticized, ridiculed and loved by others live under tremendous stress. They often feel unsafe- emotionally and/or physically. Living with constant emotional stress and feeling physically or emotionally unsafe takes a major toll on the nervous system, including the brain, and can be one of many contributors to cognitive impairment. This constant level of stress can impair cognitive function. Stress is inflammatory to the body and brain. Stress affects neurotransmitter production, causing excess excitatory neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and epinephrine, which up-regulate our system which can unfortunately cause even more stress. Stress also causes increased cortisol, the stress hormone to be produced. An excess of these chemicals causes health consequences to many bodily systems. To name a few: Cardiovascular- increased blood pressure and heart rate Respiratory- shallow and rapid breathing that reduces oxygenation Musculoskeletal- pain and tension Endocrine System- sex hormone and thyroid hormone abnormalities due to the HPATG (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Thyroid Gonadal) Axis disturbance caused by high cortisol and elevated blood sugar that could advance to diabetes Immune system- Autoimmune disease risk increases significantly from chronic stress Gastrointestinal- GI issues due to parasympathetic and vagus nerve disruption And on and on! Every single system is affected by chronic stress in the nervous system. 

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Most of the crops in the US are sprayed with Glyphosate which is found in 70% of urine

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Glyphosate is a worldwide commonly used herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup™, as well as in many other herbicides. Have you been eating a dangerous dose of poison without even knowing it?! Since the 1970s, we've seen a huge increase of a herbicide called glyphosate on our food crops - scientists estimate that over 150,000 tons are sprayed annually across America!

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