Hello Everyone! Welcome back to another Friday blog. Today I wanted to take a close look at the effects of glyphosate - the most widely used herbicide in the world - on the body, what it does to our health and particularly, the health of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The future of the human race has been compromised by a few individuals that have made $Billions, while we get sick.

In 1961, Glyphosate was patented by the Stauffer Chemical Co. as a descaling and metal chelator (binds metals), for cleaning corroded pipes and boilers. Monsanto realized its potential as a weed killer when all the plants died where the pipes drained. Then, in 1974, Monsanto brought it to market as Roundup (herbicide) while frantically working to create a genetically modified (GMO) crop that could withstand glyphosate. - most modified crops have a foreign gene inserted into their genome engineered to resist pesticides or produce pesticides themselves - Who in their right mind thinks this could be okay for human consumption???!!!!!  

   - It is important to realize the government’s involvement here -

There are currently > $11 billion in class-action lawsuits against Bayer/Monsanto due to cancers (such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma) caused by glyphosate, and rising. Glyphosate is in It was recently discovered under the freedom of information act that our government sent emails to Bayer letting them know not to worry - we got your back on glyphosate - horrific!!  

Our government subsidizes $116.6 billion  for corn production, followed by wheat at $48.4 billion, and soybeans at $44.9 billion. Glyphosate is combined with other chemicals that enhance the herbicide action and sprayed on roughly 70% of our crops - all GMO crops (apples, papaya, cotton, corn, sugar, soybeans, beets, canola, potatoes, summer squash, alfalfa - used for dairy cows) as well as on some non-GMO crops as a dessicant prior to harvest (oats, lentils, beans, wheat, potatoes, peas, millet). “About 280 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to an average of 298 million acres of crop land annually.” Here in the U.S., the toxic load is roughly one pound of glyphosate per person per year. It makes it cheap for food manufacturers to turn these products into the myriad of processed foods that line our grocery store shelves. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is used in at least 40% of sweetened products and found in most processed foods - even savory foods- Currently, 40% of corn production is used as biofuel - much evaporates before getting burned and released into the air - 😳 - now we are breathing it?

 - What does glyphosate do to humans?

• Disrupts metabolism - It interferes with the shikimate pathway used by plants, bacteria, fungi, algae, and most (54%) of our good gut microbes. They argued it is safe since humans and animals don’t use the shikimate pathway. However, the bugs that live in us and outnumber our cells x10 do!  We RELY on the end products of this pathway - that we can’t make ourselves - including : folates - B vitamins that are precursors to NAD and FAD - molecules that our mitochondria need to make energy - We rely on our “gut bacteria” as well as plants for the essential aromatic amino acids, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. Many biologically active molecules that are produced via the shikimate pathway include serotonin, melatonin, melanin, epinephrine, dopamine, thyroid hormone, folate, coenzyme Q10, vitamin K, and vitamin E.
• Causes deficiency of neurotransmitters and other sulfur-transporting proteins by interference with the shikimate pathway
• Causes abnormal gene expression - inducing a wide range of diseases and cancers in multiple ways
• Causes cholesterol imbalance - due to blocked detoxification in the liver and likely contributing to fatty liver
• Damages mitochondria - depletes glutathione (one of the 2 critical antioxidants that protect our mitochondria) -involved in phase 1 detoxification - and blocks production of methionine, the precursor to glutathione
• Binds to metals and minerals - We become both toxic and deficient in our minerals - magnesium, manganese, zinc…and many, many others.
• Causes gut dysbiosis - glyphosate kills off lactobacillus and bifidobacteria as well as enterococcus. When these microbes are missing, the enzymes they create to help us digest dairy for example, are also missing. This leads to gut dysbiosis or imbalance, favoring pathogenic microbes like Salmonella, Clostridium and Pseudomonas. As our gut becomes more inflamed from the harmful metabolites they produce and the undigested proteins, we end up with poorly closing tight-junctions. This allows undigested proteins, bacteria, viruses and even sewage to leak out of our intestine into the body. “Glyphosate is a likely cause of the recent epidemic in celiac disease.”
• Causes autoimmune disorders - Our immune system sees these undigested proteins, freaks out, and an all-out assault begins. Some of these proteins actually “look like” or “mimick” other normal proteins, such as thyroid hormone. This is called molecular mimicry. The immune system sees these undigested proteins and makes antibodies against them. This is how many autoimmune diseases begin, and why - I firmly believe - such a high number of my female patients presented with thyroid problems. Since it affects mitochondria in such a profound way, it is driving many of the diseases and syndromes we are experiencing from sleep disturbances/insomnia (low melatonin) to depression/mood/violent behavior (low serotonin), obesity, autism, thyroid disorders and cancer. Several cancers are rising that are likely a direct result of exposure, including kidney, thyroid, breast, pancreatic and liver.
• Highly neurotoxic - “highly reactive glycating agent, which will disrupt the function of multiple proteins in cells that are exposed.” Glycation is directly implicated in PD and detected in the brains of malformed piglets. Glyphosate has been detected in the brains of malformed piglets.“Glyphosate also seems to exert a significant toxic effect on neurotransmission and to induce oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, processes that lead to neuronal death due to autophagy, necrosis, or apoptosis, as well as the appearance of behavioral and motor disorders.”
• Strongly linked to Autism - according to the CDC, autism rates in the U.S. increased from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 54 in 2016, and now is 1 in 44!!! (France by comparison is 1 in 144) WHAT???!!! Rates in autism began rising in the 1990’s and appears to coincide with the use of glyphosate - check out the graph below - These kids have severe gut dysbiosis and depletion of sulfur, which leads to the production of hydrogen sulfide gas in the gut. Their poop smells very bad. This gas can float up and cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), creating a pseudo-hibernation state in these kids.
• Strongly linked to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma - $11 billion in lawsuits due to lymphoma cancer caused by glyphosate. In 2018, $78 million was awarded to Dewayne Johnson, a California father and former school groundskeeper who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, caused by Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup.
• Blocks detoxification by the liver - glyphosate blocks our phase 1 detoxification pathway by interfering with cytochrome P450 - it inherently makes every other toxin WAY more toxic - blocks our methylation and sulfation processes. Further, it blocks phase 2 detoxification which makes things more water-soluble. For example, let’s say you have eaten tons of tuna and have high levels of mercury. The way your body gets rid of mercury is to sulfate it to make it less toxic and more water soluble to be disposed of through urine. This takes place in the liver, which explains the rise in liver cancers - if we can’t do this, we are in trouble -
• Causes hormonal imbalance - liver can’t detoxify estrogens and testosterone - glyphosate affects the “hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and other organ systems. Importantly, several studies showed that technical-grade glyphosate is less toxic than formulated GBHs, indicating that the mixture of the active ingredient and formulants can have cumulative effects on endocrine and reproductive endpoints.”
• Causes breast cancer cells to grow and divide unchecked, with exposure in parts per trillion. This is less than the amount the governments says is safe for us!! “Glyphosate primes mammary cells” to become more sensitive to other known carcinogens, increasing the risk that these toxicants will induce cancer. In the lung, it induces DNA damage and apoptosis (cell death). DNA damage leads to cancer. A long-term (2 year) study in mice fed GMO corn chow looked at multiple organs affected. “In female animals, the largest tumors were in total five times more frequent than in males after 2 years, with 93% of these being mammary tumors.The most affected organs in males were the liver, hepatodigestive tract, and kidneys.” - the pics are horrific - 
• Severely damages kidneys - Agriculture workers in Sri Lanka, Central America, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador and in India have reported high levels of (CKD) chronic kidney disease and kidney cancers. In 2015, young agricultural workers in their 40’s were dying of kidney failure in record numbers in Sri Lanka. They banned it. Many countries have stopped or plan to stop usage. Mexico plans to stop all GMO seed and glyphosate usage by 2024!!! YAY!!!
• Exhibits estrogen-like properties, and growing evidence has indicated it may disrupt normal endocrine function, with adverse consequences for reproductive health. 
• Causes NAFLD - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - Researchers investigated the “toxic effects of prenatal exposure to pure glyphosate or Roundup on lipid metabolism in offspring.” They demonstrated that glyphosate causes hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease) as well as excessive and altered lipid metabolism in the offspring.
• Shortened gestation and spontaneous abortion - Environmental Health Perspectives published an abstract in 2021 looking at prenatal exposure. They noted neural tube defects in children whose mother lived within 1 km of agriculture sprayed with glyphosate, as well as spontaneous abortion. “A study of farmworker families found that GLY exposure within the 3 months prior to conception, as determined by a pesticide use questionnaire, was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion at 12–19 wk gestation (n=3,936$n=\mathrm{3,936}$ pregnancies, 395 spontaneous abortions; 33 cases GLY-exposed).” An Environmental Research abstract published in January, 2022 stated: “Our results indicate widespread exposure to glyphosate in the general population which may impact reproductive health by shortening length of gestation.” “A birth cohort study in Indiana published in 2017 – the first study of glyphosate exposure in US pregnant women using urine specimens as a direct measure of exposure – found detectable levels of glyphosate in more than 90% of the pregnant women tested and found the levels were significantly correlated with shortened pregnancy lengths.”
• Multigenerational effects have been proved to be induced by the herbicide. As everything else wasn’t bad enough, how is it able to affect future generations, particularly 3rd and 4th generations? One hypothesis has been proposed by Stephanie Seneff, PhD, a MIT senior research scientist, while researching Autism in children. She has been extensively studying the affects of environmental toxins since around 2010. Since glycine is one of the three amino acids at the core of glyphosate, it is able (if turned just right) to insert itself into the “glycine spot” during protein synthesis - like a puzzle piece that isn’t quite perfect due to its tail - We then, are building our proteins out of glyphosate - 😳 How terrifying is this? “It has been proposed that glyphosate’s insidious cumulative mechanism of toxicity to humans may be realized through a unique ability to substitute for glycine, a coding amino acid, during protein synthesis. It is possible to explain the strong correlations that are seen between the rise in a large number of debilitating chronic diseases and glyphosate usage on core crops through such a mechanism.” 

Monsanto’s own studies of exposure to glyphosate on Bluegill sunfish demonstrated 70% of the radio label was glyphosate incorporated into protein!!! Guess what? - THEY DIDN’T PUBLISH IT - They knew this in 1989 BEFORE they used it on our food!!! OMG….

Ridley W.P., Chott K.A. Uptake, Depuration and Bioconcentration of C-14 Glyphosate to Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis machrochirus) Part II: Characterization and Quantitation of Glyphosate and its Metabolites. Monsanto Agricultural Company; St Louis, MI, USA: 1989. unpublished study. [Google Scholar]

Since wide scale use of glyphosate on crops began around 1996, and a generation is considered to be roughly 25 years (20-30), we are just now at the second generation (roughly 2021). Right in line with mice studies, we are seeing wide scale fatty liver disease and obesity. We are beginning to see increases in breast, kidney and other cancers. It is likely we will see even higher rates of autism, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, obesity, cancer, metabolic and other diseases as we get to the third generation - 2046 - FYI - these metabolic diseases already make up 90% of our $4Trillion healthcare cost.

In 2015, scientists looked at glyphosate usage in relationship to rising diseases. Another paper looked further. There are MANY disturbing correlations:

Okay. Let’s recap all this. GMO foods can produce a version of glyphosate-like protein depending on the bacterial gene inserted into the plant’s genome. Plants are able to create resistance factors, driving even higher glyphosate usage. Glyphosate is sprayed on 70% of our crops - manufactured into all kinds of products that we consume. It destroys our microbiome, severely damages mitochondria, disrupts production of important proteins and neurotransmitters and increases toxicity of everything else by inhibiting phase 1 detoxification pathways. It disrupts sulfur pathways in the body - particularly in the brain -  including sulfation of water to create the gel-state for cytoplasm and lining of blood vessels. It is likely becoming embedded into our proteins, interfering with fertility and affecting the metabolic function of future generations. Since it is a metal chelator, it binds with minerals and heavy metals causing simultaneous toxicity and deficiency. It tends to let-go and dump these in the acidic environment of the kidneys, allowing arsenic exposure to kidneys. 

So, are we doomed? What can we DO about this? How can we clear it from our planet, our atmosphere, our soil, our bodies and prevent our grandchildren and great-grandchildren from becoming sick or from not even being born? Check out the U.S. right to know website here:

• Demand our representatives, senators and congressmen get toxic chemicals out of our food. Here’s a link. You can enter your address and it gives you a list of everyone in your district. Also, “every state has a change.org petition requesting the respective state governors to ban glyphosate. The United States has been slow to adopt the position of the World Health Organization. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency holds the same position as Bayer-Monsanto. The EPA has repeatedly stated the glyphosate is safe, but it hasn’t always held that position. While the federal government is slow to move on accepting the science around glyphosate, several municipalities in the United States have restricted or banned glyphosate…Despite the federal government’s lack of urgency, private citizens have taken up the fight against Bayer-Monsanto to hold them accountable. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the company from people who use Roundup at work or on personal yard maintenance who have since developed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.” Demand your city end the use of glyphosate and other toxic chemicals.   Locally - “Denton is the home of two Texas universities” - I’m a graduate of Texas Woman’s University -  “and sits about 30 minutes north of Dallas. The city ended the use of glyphosate herbicide and is piloting an integrated pest management program that favors organic methods for city-owned parks.” 
• Eat Fermented Foods - Researchers gave sick cows, that had high glyphosate in their urine, the juice from sauerkraut. They got well. Was it the microbes? The beneficial metabolites? They don’t know yet. Eat sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, fermented pickles, miso, kimchi and other foods to help clear it from your body. I make homemade Greek yogurt that is fermented for 18 hours - so beyond yummy!! Homemade water kefir is another wonderful fermented food. I flavor with herbal teas and use sparkling mineral water for a fizzy, refreshing “mock-tail.”
• Vinegars - They know that several acetobacters are able to metabolize glyphosate. Include ACV (apple cider vinegar), balsamic vinegars, red wine and other vinegars with the mother! They make incredible “mock-tails!”
• Eat Organic and non-GMO - as much as possible avoid consuming toxic chemicals. Foods highest in glyphosate are grains, highly processed packaged foods - we need to avoid these foods anyway due to the high glucose response - wheat, corn, sugar, soy, oats, rice…“The testing project found alarming levels of glyphosate in General Mills’ Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes and PepsiCo’s Doritos Cool Ranch, Ritz Crackers and Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips, as well as many more famous products.”
• Household cleaning - use natural cleaners like vinegar and water, wear gloves.
• Clothing - glyphosate is sprayed on cotton - choose organic sheets, towels and clothing that is in contact with your skin. FYI - it’s found in tampons.
• Avoid fumes - that “new car” smell is toxic. So are the “air fresheners” and some scented candles - just saying - Stand upwind when fillling your gas tank to avoid toxic fumes.
• Eat Sulfur-rich - garlic, eggs, cruciferous vegetables - glyphosate depletes sulfur and disrupts pathways that produce sulfur-transport proteins.
• Garden - get your hands in the dirt to enhance your own microbiome health - grow your own food, particularly herbs!!!
• STOP using it on your lawn! - mindblowing - you can still buy roundup and many other products containing glyphosate (along with more toxic chemicals) at your local hardware store. Reduce further insect decline!!! Grow native plants and create areas of natural habitats to encourage populations of butterfly, bee and other insects to restore balance.
• Epsom Salt Bath - Magnesium sulfate - Your body can absorb sulfur through the skin 
• Sunshine - Get outside and get fresh air and sunshine. Not only do you synthesize vitamin D, but you can also synthesize chondroitin sulfate in the skin.
• Manganese (Mn) - Glyphosate severely depletes Mn from soil and plants. Consequences are associated with gut dysbiosis, autism, AD, PD, depression, anxiety, osteoporosis, prion diseases. Glutamate overexpression in the brain is due to Mn deficiency. Many things depend on proper Mn availability including sperm motility, bone density, protection of mitochondria and gut microbes from oxidative damage. “Under conditions of adequate Mn in the diet, glyphosate, through its disruption of bile acid homeostasis, ironically promotes toxic accumulation of Mn in the brainstem, leading to conditions such as PD and prion diseases.” A great natural way to get trace minerals is Himalayan Sea Salt or Hawaiian Red Clay Sea Salt.
• Magnesium - Glyphosate also severely depletes magnesium from soil and plants. Most of us are deficient and suffer poor sleep, constipation, poor blood pressure control and many other symptoms. Magnesium is required in >600 enzymatic reaction in the body. Most of us need to supplement with a highly absorbable magnesium, such as citrate.
• Melatonin - very important hormone and powerful antioxidant. It is one of only 2 antioxidants (glutathione) used by mitochondria to protect themselves - In colorectal cancer cells, melatonin inhibits cancer cell growth and proliferation, as well as apoptosis (cell death) via multiple mechanisms, but researchers currently don’t understand exactly to what extent. It appears that cancer cells may beunable to grow during sleep (per Dr. Stephen Gundry). Foods high in melatonin: pistachios, mushrooms, HP-EVOO, red wine, coffee, tea
• Sweat daily - We excrete toxins from the skin through sweat. Saunas, such as infrared - are also amazing at helping your body detoxify. Eucalyptus steam rooms are also beneficial to enhance sweating. 
• Exercise - Imperative for good blood flow and initiation of healing pathways.
• Support Microbiome - Consume HP-EVOO, eat a wide range of colorful vegetables and fruits. Consume fiber-rich foods that feed your gut microbiome. Take a prebiotic fiber like GOS (galactooligosaccharide), or Konjac root and a good probiotic.  These are indigestible starches that our microbiome loves. It provides no calories for us, enhances immune function and repair pathways.
• Mitochondrial support - polyphenols are amazing mitochondrial uncouplers: HP-EVOO, ketones, CoQ-10, NAC, curcumin, quercetin, MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) - found in coconut, sheep and goat cheeses.
• Herbs - powerful detoxifiers - rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme… Sprinkle leaves into salads, eggs, meats, etc. Put some dried rosemary from your garden into a spice grinder for the table. Grind on everything!!! This is a great way to get these spices into your food!
• HP-EVOO - High polyphenol extra virgin olive oil - Polyphenols are very powerful molecules that orchestrate how and when genes get turned on (cancer-fighting) or off (cancer), as well as tell the mitochondria to uncouple and divide to make more buddies to carry the load. This amazing oil is also a source of melatonin, vitamin E and vitamin K. “The polyphenols contained in EVOO have been demonstrated, for instance, to contribute to the maintenance of genomic stability, thanks to the capacity to protect DNA (nuclear and mitochondrial) against oxidative stress-induced harm.” EVOO helps heal the lining of the gut, contains powerful molecules that protect us from cancer, T2D, obesity, Alzheimer’s, dementias, fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, protects our DNA, feeds and protects gut microbes, protects and uncouples mitochondria, demonstrates positive epigenetic activity and so much more. Choose high polyphenol EVOO. Make sure to get some raw EVOO in your body. Drizzle on your food right before eating or take a shot.

So, until next time my friends, how does your inner-garden grow? Detoxify your body…Drink, Drizzle, Digest HP-EVOO 2-4T raw daily, - use more for cooking - eat the rainbow of organic or wild-sourced veggies (7-9 C) and low-glycemic fruits (to get the rainbow of gut microbes!) Eat wild-caught, pasture-raised, grass-fed, get plenty of sunshine + supplement magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3 + K2, get your trace minerals and electrolytes with good sea salt *Himalayan was formed before plastics, eat foods high in lutein, drink 1/2 your body weight in oz of water, get a good pre/probiotic (if you have wiped out your gut microbes with antibiotics), consume indigestible fiber for your gut microbes, fermented foods for the post-biotics, adaptogens and methylation donors (kale, beets, lion’s mane…) to detox, enhance overall health and reverse aging and disease, exercise your body and mind, add a few minutes of mindful meditation to your day to combat stress, take a hot epsom salt bath and follow with a cold shower/plunge, remove EMF (electromagnetic frequency) devices and blue light, use IR (infrared) from incandescent lighting, candles (check for toxic chemicals), or fire in the evening to enhance sleep and...turn off the light!!   #HP-EVOO