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Are We Roundup Ready?

RoundupMost of our soy and corn crops are Roundup Ready, but the question is: Are we?

What exactly is Roundup Ready?

Crops like corn and soy are genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. This means the crop will live when sprayed with glyphosate and the weeds around them will die.

Since the introduction of glyphosate into our food supply in the 1970s, it has been assumed that glyphosate is harmless to humans since it disrupts the shikimate pathway in plants, a mechanism missing from humans.

This assumption may prove to be one of the most hazardous assumptions ever made. While the shikimate pathway is missing from human physiology, it is not missing from the bacteria, fungi, and other microbial species that dominate our immune system.

Read more ...

Pesticides and Schools

School PlaygroundWhat are the myths surrounding the safety of synthetic weed and bug killers? Are these chemicals as harmless as we are led to believe? How concerned should we be when our children's schools spray pesticides and herbicides on a regular basis?

Pesticides have their roots in World War II. At that time we learned that we can kill people, as well as bugs, with chemicals. With no knowledge about long-term health implications, particularly for children, we embraced the chemical era.

How Pesticides Work

Many pesticides work as nerve poisons. These include organophosphates, pyrethroids, and others. These nerve poisons destroy a key nervous system enzyme—an enzyme that turns off acetylcholine, one of the critical neurotransmitters in the human brain.

Studies have been done noting the impact of organophosphates on the brains of young children. One such study was published in December 2010.

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Pesticides and Drinking Water

What's in your water? What you find may surprise you.

Your community's Annual Water Report will most likely contain a long list of contaminants. In a sample report we reviewed there were three pages of contaminants, including these categories: Microbiological Contaminants, Radionuclides, Lead and Copper, Inorganic Contaminants, Synthetic Organic Contaminants, and Volatile Organic Contaminants.

The following is an excerpt from the Synthetic Organic Contaminants page:

Water Contaminants Report

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Endocrine Disruption and Pesticides

The term "endocrine disruption" is quickly becoming a familiar one. The research surrounding bisphenol A has helped bring the subject to the forefront. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor and is commonly found in plastics.

Pesticides have also been implicated in recent years. The organization Beyond Pesticides is dedicated to the eradication of pesticides and now offers a database of pesticide-induced diseases, which facilitates access to epidemiologic and laboratory studies. In the article Wide Range of Diseases Linked to Pesticides, endocrine disruption is described this way:

Endocrine disruptors function by: (i) Mimicking the action of a naturally-produced hormone, such as estrogen or testosterone, thereby setting off similar chemical reactions in the body; (ii) Blocking hormone receptors in cells, thereby preventing the action of normal hormones; or (iii) Affecting the synthesis, transport, metabolism and excretion of hormones, thus altering the concentrations of natural hormones. Endocrine disruptors have been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, early puberty, infertility and other reproductive disorders, and childhood and adult cancers. More than 50 pesticide active ingredients have been identified as endocrine disruptors by the European Union and endocrine disruptor expert Theo Colborn, PhD.

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Quotes

"My daughter started having digestive problems... heart palpitations... coughing episodes... muscle/joint pain... asthma/allergies... Her doctor finally advised me to check for mold in our home."

– Anonymous

"Our family has been out of our home for 9 months due to mold... I am so scared and weak from all of this. We have lost friends; family members don't understand."

– Anonymous

"We all suffered from headaches, hormonal body temperature fluctuations, brain fog, fatigue, difficulty breathing, thrush, rashes, and yeast infections... we vacated our home two weeks ago."

– Anonymous

"I started finding myself sitting on the floor in rooms of my house and not remembering how I got there, what I was doing before, or how long I had been there."

– Brenda

"I'm new at this, but today I cleaned my bathroom with baking soda and vinegar. It's much better not having those strong chemical smells afterwards."

– Anonymous

"We had some water leaks in our home... we never thought we needed to clean out and remove the floor, the ceiling, or the drywall... my two small children and I have remained constantly sick for years in this home."

– Mia

"The ERMI mold test as well as your helpful articles and Toxic Talk Tuesday programs have helped us avoid a terrible mistake in purchasing a new home."

– Angela

"We were having a lot of health problems and had been to the doctor countless times... we had large circles of slimy greenish-black mold on the bathroom ceiling, where it had caved in a few months before."

– C.

"I had been struggling with headaches, head fog, breathing difficulties (unable to get a full breath), constant scalp tingling, migraines, nausea, feeling spacey/detached, and severe itchy skin."

– Anonymous

"I've been living in a mold-infested home for 13 months... I was going CRAZY! Finally figured it out... Just a few days of recovering in a mold-free home and I feel AMAZING!!!"

– Lauren

"My symptoms persisted and eventually turned into lethargy and depression. At the age of 26, I required a nap every evening after work."

– Jennifer

"The entire time we lived in our (mold-infested) house the kitchen sponge would get musty smelling within 3-4 days. It was so strange. I had to buy a pack of sponges nearly every week."

– Anonymous

"I knew it was mold, but doctors kept telling me I had anxiety. I was sitting in my office and could not remember who I was talking to, or what we were talking about."

– Brenda

"In my moldy home if I left the wet clothes in the washer they would get musty very quickly and I'd have to re-wash... Sometimes I'd run a load, go to work, and they'd be musty when I returned that evening."

– Anonymous

"...at age 35 or 36 I started to become allergic to everything, and I got asthma at age 36... I went to doctor after doctor after doctor and was desperate for help, but nobody could help me."

– Mia

"I have been sick for almost 6 months now and doctors were not able to figure out why. I finally put it all together after going away for vacation for a week and suddenly my symptoms were going away."

– Anonymous

"My daughter has had many blood samples taken to test for everything imaginable and her doctor just seems puzzled. Everything comes back normal."

– Anonymous

"I was skeptical at first that these (natural cleaning) products would work, but they work better than the stuff I buy at the store! We will soon be moving to the personal care products as well!"

– Jennifer

"Both of my sons went downhill quickly and coughed for months... They both lost their ability to read, had profound vision disturbances, and had phenomenal gastric issues."

– Lee

This site is dedicated to a true friend and mother — Barbara Dell Kessel (1929-2009)