Totally Toxic
Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller may be even worse for human
health than we thought.
As reported this week in the Guardian, new tests show that
when Roundup’s key active ingredient, glyphosate, is combined with other
chemicals to create the final product, the herbicide is more toxic to human
cells than glyphosate alone.
U.S. Right to Know’s Carey Gillam reported on the first-ever
testing, conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP), of
glyphosate-based formulations. Previous testing focused exclusively on
glyphosate in isolation.
NTP’s acting chief of the National Toxicology Program
Laboratory, Mike DeVito, told the Guardian the agency’s work is ongoing but its
early findings are clear on one key point. “We see the formulations are much
more toxic. The formulations were killing the cells. The glyphosate really
didn’t do it."
That’s bad for farmers who spray Roundup, for people who eat
Roundup-contaminated food, and for the millions of us who are exposed to
Roundup because it runs off into our waterways or is sprayed on parks,
playgrounds and neighborhood lawns. According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) latest figures, $9 billion worth of glyphosate-based
herbicides were sold in the U.S. in 2012.
Monsanto continues to claim that its product is safe,
including the formulation it sells direct to consumers for their lawns and
gardens. Beyond Pesticides (BP) and the Organic Consumers Association (OCA)
sued Monsanto for misleading consumers about the safety of its flagship
herbicide. Monsanto tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, but a federal judge
recently ruled in favor of BP and OCA.
My Comment:
The only way to avoid these pesticides is to buy organic
foods as much as you can. Even non-GMO crops are routinely sprayed with Roundup
to dry the stalks before harvest. It is now everywhere in our environment and
sadly our government makes no effort to protect us. You must protect yourself
and buy organic and non-GMO foods, which will force the agricultural companies
to offer healthier foods or lose money.
Drugs That Cause Dementia And Alzheimer’s
By the time you opened your email today, an untold number of
people (maybe even you) had already taken a type of drug that's known to
heavily tip the scales toward dementia and Alzheimer's.
These meds are called anticholinergics, a class of pharmaceuticals
used to treat so many conditions that even your doctor or pharmacist may not
realize how many are out there.
But those who have been paying attention know that this
dementia connection is a huge problem, especially for seniors who may be taking
multiple meds that fall into this category.
Now, experts have confirmed earlier warnings about what
anticholinergics can do to your brain, finding that not only can they up your
chances of dementia, but certain ones can do so for decades after you've stopped
using them!
These drugs may seem entirely disconnected from each other.
But they all have one common denominator: a link to "cognitive
decline."
And at least one of them may be sitting in your medicine
cabinet right now. Here's how to know for sure… so you know which meds to
ditch!
In the mainstream media, why is it that most every story
about a stray puppy or new ice cream flavor is "breaking news," but
when it comes to something actually important, such as how to safeguard your
brain, you don't hear even a whisper about it?
Unless you read my blog.
Last year, I told you how a group of Rx and OTC meds with
"anticholinergic" activities can double your chance of having a
stroke. But that wasn't the first appearance of a red flag regarding this class
of drugs.
The year before that, the alarm was sounded about how these
drugs can shrink your brain.
But even that was a follow-up to a 2015 study from the
University of Washington School of Pharmacy that found that taking anticholinergics can up your risk of
dementia by over 50 percent -- and Alzheimer's by a whopping 63 percent!
When are doctors going to start paying attention to these
findings? And what in the world are they waiting for?
In a just-out study, scientists from universities in the UK
and Ireland – as well as Indiana's Purdue University -- compared the habits of
over 40,000 Brits who had been diagnosed with dementia to hundreds of thousands
of others with no known cognitive difficulties.
They found that those who took anticholinergics for a number
of conditions -- depression, overactive bladder, or Parkinson's -- upped their
chances of developing dementia by a hefty 30 percent. All it took was being on
one of those meds for at least a year.
If you think about it, who takes those kinds of drugs for
under a year? Some, such as antidepressants, can be lifetime commitments.
But it gets worse.
Researchers also discovered that the risk can persist for
years -- even decades -- after you stop taking them. It's like having a ticking
time bomb… in your head! These meds do their dirty work by blocking an
important chemical messenger in your brain, a neurotransmitter called
"acetylcholine," and as I said, there are loads of drugs that fall
into this group.
For example, there's diphenhydramine, a.k.a. the popular
allergy med Benadryl. You'll also find that active ingredient included in Advil
PM, Bayer PM, Nytol, Sominex, and Tylenol PM. Then there's oxybutynin (sold
over the counter as Oxytrol for bladder issues), the brand Chlor-Trimeton for
allergies, and Dramamine used for nausea and motion sickness.
The acid blocker Tagamet is also in this group, as is the
OTC allergy drug Zyrtec. Also included are the antidepressants Paxil and
Brisdelle (which can be prescribed for hot flashes!), Imodium to treat
diarrhea, and the antipsychotic Clozaril.
And that's just the tip of this very large and dangerous
iceberg!
The bigger story here is that you won't find a warning about
any of this on the packaging of any anticholinergics you may be taking… even if
you use a magnifying glass to read every single side effect!
You may not even know if a med you're on falls into this
dangerous drug class, because that's not listed on the packaging either.
By now, we should all have learned that just because a drug
is commonplace or readily available without a prescription, that doesn't mean
it's safe to take.
Many of these anticholinergics are for allergies, which
means that they're going to be selling like hotcakes right about now. But
instead of turning to Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton, why not try natural remedies
like butterbur and goldenseal?
If you need something for nausea, try sniffing some rubbing
alcohol from a cotton pad or ball instead of taking Dramamine. Research just
published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that kind of "aroma
therapy" to be over three times more effective than a prescription drug
for nausea!
As the lead author in that study said, the "powerful
message" here is that "there are simple, safe ways to deal with
symptoms."
And for any drugs that you're currently taking -- prescription
or OTC -- ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it falls into this group of
anticholinergics, and if so, find out what other options you may have.
Pneumonia And The Acid Reflux Connection
By Melissa Young at Health Science Institute
Pneumonia -- it's a common condition that's often deadly,
especially for seniors. That's why so many roll up their sleeves every year for
a vaccine that supposedly prevents it.
And even though antibiotics can effectively treat this lung
infection (as long as it's the bacterial kind), tens of thousands of Americans
still die from it every year. And if it lands you in the hospital, statistics
say, it tops the list of ailments that can keep you from ever getting out
alive.
The CDC offers a number of suggestions for how to prevent
it, and -- no shocker here! -- the first six of them are vaccines! Not just for
pneumonia itself, but for the flu (of course!), measles, and for good measure,
whooping cough! All of those shots, it says, will help you stay fit, be
healthy, and prevent pneumonia.
But if that's all you've heard, you're be missing out on one
of the best ways to steer clear of this potentially deadly infection. The best
part is that by heeding this warning, you'll not only be benefiting your lungs,
but just about every other organ in your body!
So, if you're having problems with acid reflux, don't let
all those commercials sell you on taking a pill for a quick fix. Because while
they might stop stomach acid, they can also give the go-ahead to pathogens that
can make your life much more miserable -- and perhaps even put it in jeopardy.
The pneumonia-PPI connection
You see, there's already something in each of our bodies
that actually protects against infections (including pneumonia!), and that's
stomach acid.
The acid in your stomach actually forms a barrier that keeps
"bad" bacteria out, but when you block the production of that acid
with a PPI drug like Nexium, Prilosec, or Prevacid, it opens the door for all
types of infections to take hold.
And now, researchers at the UK's University of Exeter have
found a clear link between taking PPIs and increasing your risk of developing
pneumonia. And what's even more frightening is that while this is the latest
study to make such a connection, it's far from the first.
In 2004, researchers from the University Medical Center in
the Netherlands made a similar discovery over pneumonia and PPI drugs.
And in 2009, doctors from the Harvard School of Medicine
discovered that around 33,000 deaths a year from "hospital-acquired
pneumonia" are likely due to the routine practice of pumping hospital
patients full of these acid-suppressors -- regardless of whether they actually
need them.
Then, only last year, another study done by scientists at
the Washington University School of Medicine looked at whether those taking PPI
drugs are at a greater risk of dying... from any cause. And even those seasoned
professionals were "startled" by the results.
"However we
sliced the data," they said, "there was always a consistent
relationship between PPI use and risk of death."
It doesn't get much more to the point than that, does it?
In fact, I'm not quite sure how those PPIs can be sold in
such small packages, since listing all of the many side effects these drugs can
trigger would require a billboard!
The worst part of all of this is that many people quite
innocently start up on one of these drugs, perhaps picking up a box while
strolling through Target or Walmart, never expecting to still be taking them
months or years later (despite the fact the FDA has only approved them for
two-week periods no more than three times a year!).
But what they don't know is that trying to get off of them
once they start can often be next to impossible. I guess that's why Larry the
Cable guy is so stuck on Prilosec, saying he takes "one pill each
morning." He's probably got no other choice!
What frequently happens is that they trigger a condition
called "rebound acid secretion," which has been described as the
worst case of acid reflux ever.
When you block acid production with one of these meds, it
creates an imbalance between the acid the body expects and what it's actually
getting. And once the drug is stopped, the body will start cranking out that
acid like never before.
This is why you can't just decide one day to stop cold
turkey... but have to wean yourself off of them very slowly!
Of course, pneumonia is far from the only baggage these
drugs bring along with them. They can also up your risk of a deadly kind of
esophageal cancer and suffering a heart attack or stroke, lower your immune
function, and open the gates to a bout with the deadly bacteria C. diff.
Yes, acid reflux can make your life miserable. But there are
ways to control it that won't kill you in the process!
For example:
- Try a "sleep wedge." HSI panel member Dr. Glenn Rothfeld suggests using a wedge at night to keep stomach acid down where it belongs.
- Cut back on acidic drinks, such as coffee and some fruit juices, and carbonated beverages (which are bad for you in other ways as well).
- Start taking a high-quality probiotic daily.
- Sip on a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it
- Have dinner several hours before bedtime and eat slowly. Give smaller portions a try.
- Try eating an apple before bedtime
- Get checked for too little acid which causes food to ferment and seem like acid reflux
And once you've managed to boot these risky drugs out of your life, never start up on them again!
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and
medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you
have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a
Naturopath).
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