The Harmful Effects of Glyphosate (and what you can do about it)
Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP
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!
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?
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 from Vibrant Wellness.
Click here for a sample report which includes glyphosate
Testing for Glyphosate
Treatment:
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
You can find a qualified and certified functional medicine practitioner by going to: www.FunctionalMedicineDoctors.com
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/