The Time is Now: Reducing Your Toxic Burden
“PRACTICE WHEN YOU WANT TO. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, PRACTICE WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO.”
Our individual embodied well-being is innately interconnected to each other’s well-being, and together, one mindful action at a time we will individually and collectively come out of this experience for the better.
The time is now to implement changes in our daily lives, making conscious choices for the betterment of our wellbeing and planetary health. The time is now to reduce our toxic burden. But what does this mean exactly? It’s a sad fact that we have polluted the earth, our sustainer and home. Our air, soil, and water are contaminated with thousands of chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and metabolic dysregulators which can wreak havoc on our health. While it is impossible to completely avoid all toxins, becoming aware of the most dangerous ones and avoiding them as much as possible will go a long way towards protecting our health. I’ve written extensively about how we can vote with our dollars when it comes to the food we eat, and the same is true regarding toxins. By not buying things with toxic ingredients, we withdraw our support of companies who value profit over our health. The industries that add toxins to our foods, clothing, cosmetics, and cleaning products wouldn’t exist without us buying their products. In this article I’m going to share the top toxins that are known to have negative impacts on our health, and how we can avoid them.
Glyphosphate (Roundup)
Last year 9.4 million tons of this dangerous pesticide was sprayed on crops worldwide. GMO crops like corn, soy, sugar beets and canola are genetically modified so that they will tolerate glyphosate. Most wheat crops are also sprayed with glyphosate to dessicate (dry the wheat) before harvest.
Glyphosate residues have been found in almost all processed foods as they contain wheat, corn and soy. It has been found in high concentrations in children’s cereals. About 87 percent of 650 children tested had detectable levels of the ubiquitous and toxic herbicide glyphosate in their urine, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal health agency also tested more than 1,600 urine samples of adults and found 80 percent had detectable levels of the weedkiller.
Robert Kennedy's team at Children's Health Defense does a tremendous service of cohering scientific studies that can inform and protect our health. Their Science Library is a great resource for hundreds of peer-reviewed, published articles on environmental contaminants that are implicated in the rise of the childhood epidemics we are currently experiencing in the U.S. and other industrialized nations.
“Concerned citizens owe it to themselves and family members to be as educated as possible when it comes to these toxicants, many of which are contained in vaccines. Even very low-level exposures can induce symptoms identical to those of many devastating psychological, neurological and behavior conditions in children and adults injuring the sensory, immune, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems, kidneys and other organs, and interfering with critical cellular pathways. ”
In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC – an arm of the World Health Organization – classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The 17-member panel of scientists reviewed almost 1,000 peer-reviewed, published studies on the potential carcinogenicity of the chemical. There have been several successful lawsuits linking glyphosate to lymphoma. A review of observational studies found that glyphosate exposure increased the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by up to 41%.
Glyphosate also seriously disrupts the microbiome in our gut. It has been shown to kill healthy bacteria in our gut leading to digestive problems. This has been shown to to negatively affect our immune system. New studies are showing that glyphosate contributes significantly to antibiotic resistance.
Glyphosate binds with several minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and other minerals in the soil. That could deprive crops of these nutrients.
It also interferes with the detoxification pathways in our liver by inhibiting an enzyme pathway called Cytochrome P450.
Farmers in Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Central America have a rapidly growing rate of unexplained chronic kidney disease. In other words, it’s not due to typical factors like diabetes or high blood pressure. But it may be closely linked to their exposure to glyphosate.
The link between glyphosate and brain disorders is supported by research and case studies.
For example, when worms were exposed to glyphosate, they developed Parkinson’s disease. This was due to damage in brain cells that use GABA and dopamine. And a man developed Parkinson’s disease one month after accidentally spraying glyphosate on his skin.
Not surprisingly, MS has also been linked with rising rates of glyphosate exposure. For example, sugar beets are highly sprayed with glyphosate. Areas in the world where sugar beets are grown have the highest rates of MS in the world.
Lab studies have shown that glyphosate-based herbicides can damage mitochondrial DNA in human lung and liver cells. The herbicide causes the collapse of mitochondrial membranes. And this signals the cells to self-destruct. (40, 41)
Heart risks to farmers are especially concerning, as they often spray very high concentrations of glyphosate herbicides. Electrocardiograms — which measure the electrical activity of the heart — have detected erratic heartbeats in farmers exposed to high amounts of the weed killer. (43)
About 12% of couples in the United States have trouble becoming pregnant. Studies suggest glyphosate herbicides may be part of the problem. The chemical may reduce the ability of sperm to “swim” upstream to fertilize an egg and begin a pregnancy. (45, 46)
A recent article published by National Geographic suggests that infertility rates may be much more drastic and examines whether most men will soon become sub-fertile.
“Not only has the decline in total sperm counts continued—reaching a drop of 62 percent—but the decline per year has doubled since 2000. What’s driving the decline? Neither the 2017 nor the 2022 meta-analyses examined what is causing the drop in sperm count, but other research suggests environmental and lifestyle factors may be to blame. These include exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (which mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones), smoking, and obesity. For example, a study in a 2022 issue of the journal Toxicology found that occupational exposure to pesticides was associated with sperm found in lower concentrations, sperm that were poor swimmers, and sperm with more DNA damage.”
Glyphosate isn’t limited to your food either. It’s also in your water. The herbicide spreads with runoff from rain. The chemical has been found in groundwater — such as for public water and farming — and bottled water. (58)
It’s critical to our health to avoid this toxic pesticide. Don’t use Roundup around your house and avoid products that contain wheat, corn and soy unless from organic sources.
What can you do to minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals?
Don’t use products which contain the top 12 toxins or glyphosate. Read labels.
Avoid all processed foods.
Avoid foods made with wheat and corn unless it is certified organic and non-GMO.
Sugar beets are heavily sprayed with glyphosate. Avoid refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Avoid all seed oils such as canola, soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, and vegetable oils as these are sourced from GMO crops sprayed with glyphosate.
Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are often heavily sprayed with pesticides. Buy organic fruits and vegetables. See the guide below of the most ( Dirty 12) and least (Clean 15) pesticides in fruits and vegetables.
Install a reverse osmosis system to filter your drinking water. Reverse Osmosis is the only filtration system that will remove all chemicals and toxins.
