Neonicotinoids Affect Hormone Production in Humans

Neonicotinoid pesticides are known worldwide for their negative effects on bee populations, but a new study finds that this popular agricultural chemical may also be responsible for elevated levels of a key enzyme in estrogen production. This is big and scary news, as these chemicals are in a huge portion of the food supply. Nearly a quarter of insecticides sold are neonicotinoids. The majority of corn grown in the United States is treated with these chemicals, and a third of all soybean fields have been treated with them. Neonicotinoids are causing serious health issues in bees and other pollinator populations, and research is confirming that what’s bad for the bees and birds is bad for us – in more ways than we had previously confirmed.

Pesticides, Estrogen, and Cancer

This new study focuses on an important enzyme in estrogen production, aromatase (also referred to as CYP19), and how the hormone process is influenced by neonicotinoids, specifically thiacloprid and imidacloprid (both manufactured by Bayer CropScience). Previous research has shown that neonicotinoids act as estrogen disruptors in newly emerged bees and winter bees. There hasn’t been much research exploring the link between these pesticides and human health, but Professor Sanderson and Ph.D. student Élyse Caron-Beaudoin from Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Quebec have now identified it as an endocrine disruptor. Discussing the study’s findings, Caron-Beaudoin says, “Endocrine disrupters are natural or synthetic molecules that can alter hormone function…They affect the synthesis, action, or elimination of natural hormones, which can lead to a wide variety of health effects.”

The enzyme in question, aromatase, turns androgens into estrogens. Aromatase levels are susceptible to environmental influences, and higher levels of the enzyme have been linked to unusually early puberty in girls and endocrine disorders boys. Increased aromatase has also been linked to cancer, and this is where Sanderson and Caron-Beaudoin make their most significant conclusion.

We demonstrated in vitro that neonicotinoids may stimulate a change in CYP19 promoter usage similar to that observed in patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer.”

Neonocontinoid Regulation Worldwide

The European Union is doing something about the harm caused by neonicotinoids, banning the use of the insecticide outside in the next six months. This is a more stringent ban than the previous measure, which prohibited the use of neonicotinoids on flowering crops that attract bees. It’s a step in the right direction and good news for European people and pollinators.

On the other side of the pond, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to wrap up an official review of the risk neonicotinoids pose to pollinators by the end of 2018. Studies suggesting the link between the insecticides and bee decline have been available since the 1990s, and evidence linking the two has only grown since then. Despite this, the current EPA is unlikely to find in favor of the bees. In contrast to the European ban on neonicotinoids, Americans will have to wait until the lobbies for almonds and other heavily bee-dependent crops are willing to spend more than Bayer.

A Complete Lack of Surprise

Hindsight can be frustrating, even to the point of rage sometimes. The EPA knew the decline of the bee population was a definite possibility, thanks to neonicotinoids. Yet they allowed the pesticides to move forward with no special dispensation. The current EPA, while extremely terrible, is of our own making. Big agricultural companies have set the stage for this, and they continue to call the shots. We know that these things are bad for us, but they are accepted as a cost of doing business. Well, guess what…the price keeps increasing. At point will we be unable to pay it?

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Massive Beef Recall for Plastic Contamination, Including Kroger Stores

More than 35,000 pounds of ground beef sold by North Carolina food processor JBS USA has been recalled after a consumer found hard, blue pieces of plastic in a package. The ground beef is in a variety of packages and distributed through Kroger locations in North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois and eastern West Virginia as well as Food 4 Less and Jay C stores located in the Midwest. Kroger spokeswoman Kristal Howard addressed the recall, saying that Kroger “verified that none of these products are in our stores today…We encourage customers to check their freezers for the potentially affected products and not to consume them but throw them away or return them to their place of purchase for a full refund.”

Related: Drinking Bottled Water Means Drinking Microplastics, According To Daming New Study

Meat Recalls in the U.S.

This is by no means the largest recall of meat with plastic bits this year.  In addition to the current recall, 60 tons of beef and 67 tons of Salisbury steak were recalled earlier in the month of April for plastic fragments and pieces of bone, respectively. The past two years, 2016 and 2017, saw the highest numbers of meat recalled for extraneous materials like plastics in the past decade. While those numbers can be partially attributed to massive single occurrence recalls, the fact remains that we are finding more plastic than ever in our food.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Plastics Everywhere

This recall, coupled with the ongoing Romaine lettuce scare, make it seem like our food system is headed for an unpleasant awakening. The United States Department of Agriculture doesn’t even keep track of microplastics, a growing issue for seafood. Water is a fundamental part of our food chain, and discoveries of microplastics in bottled water will translate to an agricultural setting if they haven’t already.

Related: Many Hand-me-down Plastic Toys Are Toxic for Kids
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Seventy Percent of Reusable Medical Scopes Test Positive for Bacteria in New Study from California

A new paper published in the American Journal of Infection Control examined reusable endoscopes cleared for patient use at three separate hospitals in California and found that sanitation procedures are lacking. At the best performing hospital, 62 percent of scopes had positive results for bacteria and potential pathogens. The other two had even higher percentages of bacteria with 85 and 92 percent. While researchers confirmed the lack of antibiotic-resistant superbugs on the scopes, that prospect is a when not an if.

What Is an Endoscope?

An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera at the end, usually inserted into the body through the mouth or the anus. They are commonly used to navigate the colon, stomach, and esophagus, although they’ve also gained popularity as a way to examine the ears, throat, heart, nose, abdomen, urinary tract, and joints. Most of the people who experience endoscopy suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD. According to the American Hospitals Association, the lifespans of endoscopes like gastroscopes and colonoscopes range from five to ten years.

Recommended: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Why it’s Problematic

Not to activate your inner germaphobe, but this should make you wary of medical procedures where they insert something into you to figure out what’s going on. Doctors from the American College of Physicians reporting in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the “Overuse of upper endoscopy contributes to higher health care costs without improving patient outcomes…” Numbers vary, but as many as forty percent of endoscopies don’t do anything to improve patient health. Is figuring out exactly what’s wrong with you worth inserting years of hospital bacteria into your system?

Not the First Warning

“Sadly, in the 10 years since we’ve been looking into the quality of endoscope reprocessing, we haven’t seen improvement in the field,” said Cori Ofstead, the study’s lead author and an epidemiologist in St. Paul, Minn., referring to how the devices are prepared for reuse.

Recommended: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

The issue of properly sterilizing this equipment has been and will continue to be a point of contention for hospitals and regulators. Researchers reported that the two hospitals that showed incredibly high numbers of bacteria reused towels when cleaning scopes, left the devices wet in dirty cabinets, and skipped necessary equipment washing procedures to save time. And they knew they were being watched.

No Quick Fix

There is no such thing a benign medical intervention. Being in the same room as someone who has taken antibiotics can affect your own microbiota, and a hospital is a fertile breeding grounds for hardy and potentially harmful pathogens like C. diff. A bacteria prone to antibiotic resistance, studies have shown rates of C.diff are greatly decreased in facilities that take sanitation seriously. This study found that the best of hospitals only eliminate less than half of bacteria left on reusable medical devices. Something to think about before you schedule your next colonoscopy, perhaps…

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How Microplastics Enter the Food Chain Through Organic Fertilizers

Much of the discussion surrounding microplastics in the environment have focused on our oceans, but a new report from Germany confirms that these tiny bits of plastic are also entering the food chain through organic fertilizers. Reducing and reusing waste are key elements of a healthy ecosystem, but proper pretreatment of waste destined for organic fertilizer is essential to avoid contributing microplastics to the soil. Professor Ruth Freitag from the University of Bayreuth in Germany, one of the study’s authors, identifies that pretreatment as a key to minimizing the impact of plastics on the soil.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors – Organic Lifestyle Magazine

We have plants where they use a lot of precautions and there we find hardly any plastic particles, and other plants where they simply use a shredder to prepare everything and break it down – there you find a lot…One example is people use plastic bags and then put everything together in the bin, and then this is entering the waste treatment plant and ending up in the fertilisers…”

Germany’s Recycling Efforts

Germany leads the world in recycling, with 65% percent of the population using the country’s color-coded bins. Almost 12 million tons of food and garden waste are composted or turned into bio-gas yearly. The researchers examined fertilizer samples from different types of waste treatment plants, finding samples from those plants converting biowaste contained plastic particles of varying sizes and concentrations. On the other hand, agricultural energy crop digesters tested for comparison only had isolated particles, suggesting that plastics are entering fertilizers through improperly sorted compost waste. Samples tested had low levels of plastic, with a maximum of around 150 microplastic particles per kilogram found.

Recommended: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Plastics Are Everywhere Now

There are six different bins to divide your recycling into in Germany. 317.7 million metric tons of waste were recycled in 2015. They are the worldwide leaders in refining personal recycling systems. Now they’re finding microplastics in organic fertilizers, a scary proposition.

We know that plastics like BPA and BPS disrupt the endocrine system and cause other health issues, but we still don’t know how they affect our health. We likely won’t have the full picture until well after it’s too late. Plastic is in our drinking water, the fish eat, and the soil we grow our food in. How soon will we be talking about how much plastic people can safely ingest before something serious occurs?

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People Who Eat Out Likely Have Higher Levels of Hormone-Disrupting Phthalates, Says Study

Eating out makes significant contributions to the obesity epidemic worldwide, and a new study has found eating restaurant meals also leaves you more open to phthalate exposure. What are phthalates and why does this matter?

Phthalates are a chemical added to plastics to make them flexible. They are commonly found in shower curtains, moisturizer, perfumes, hard packaging, and various plastic containers, but testing has also found them in milk and spices. They’ve been linked to cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes and endocrine disruption. They’ve been banned in children’s products in the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control has issued recommendations for further study of the chemicals. This new study found that people who regularly ate at restaurants, fast food places, and cafeterias had levels of phthalates 35 percent higher than those who only consumed food at home. Senior author Ami Zota, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University says,

This study suggests food prepared at home is less likely to contain high levels of phthalates, chemicals linked to fertility problems, pregnancy complications and other health issues…Our findings suggest that dining out may be an important and previously under-recognized source of exposure to phthalates for the U.S. population.”

Recommended: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Phthalates and Food

Researchers from George Washington University and the University of California Berkeley and San Francisco examined data collected from 10, 253 people during 2005 to 2014 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. While findings indicated there was an increase in phthalate levels overall in those who routinely ate out, the study identified teenagers as particularly vulnerable. Adolescents who consumed most of their food outside of the house experienced phthalate levels 55 percent higher than peers who ate at home. That dramatic increase may have long-reaching effects, as adolescents are one of a few populations particularly susceptible to hormone disruptors, as lead author of the study Dr. Julia Varshavsky, of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health notes.

Pregnant women, children, and teens are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals, so it’s important to find ways to limit their exposures…”

Phthalates do not bond to the plastics they make flexible, so they are especially problematic when paired with hot food, as heat is one way to remove them from the plastics. Some phthalates are also fat-soluble, leaving milk and other lipid-rich foods a likely source of them.

Phthalates have been banned for specific uses, and government reports, like the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (Chap) on Phthalates have actually made it clear that they are harmful to human health. Yet they are still in a large variety of products, especially those that are absorbed into the body through digestion or the skin. There are other alternatives available, like natural polymers or bio-plasticizers based on vegetable oils, though these other options are expensive. It’s unlikely that dining establishments, especially those focused more on profit margins, will be willing to make the switch without significant pressure.

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Co-Sleeping is Not the Reason for High Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S.

It is not news that the United States has worse infant outcomes than other developed and affluent nations, but a new study has found that to be true even for babies born full term. Recent reports on the state of women’s health care in the U.S. have confirmed again and again that the standard model of care for pregnant women in this country is lacking. Neha Bairoliya of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, one of the co-authors of the recent study, identified two factors in the higher infant mortality rates in the U.S., “…congenital malformations, which patients cannot really do much about other than ensuring adequate screening during pregnancy, and high risk of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy, which should largely be preventable through appropriate sleeping arrangements…We also found a shockingly large number of babies dying from suffocation, which suggests that parents either use covers that are not safe, or let children sleep in their own beds.”

These observations highlight what is a big misconception in conventional healthcare in the U.S. – issues from co-sleeping are a symptom, not the problem.

image credit: Mom Loses Custody Of Her Kids Because Of Something You've Probably Done

Cosleeping and Infant Mortality

The most prevalent cause of infant death identified in the study was SUID (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy), a categorization of infant deaths where the cause can be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, accidental deaths like suffocation or strangulation, homicides, and sudden natural deaths. Several studies over the past 5 years have linked cosleeping to SIDS. So why are rates of SIDS and infant mortality so much lower in places notorious for cosleeping?

Related: Common Bad Parenting Advice You Should Ignore

Infant Mortality in Other Countries

Cosleeping is widespread in Japan. Often, parents are still sleeping in the same bed with school-age children. Yet, infant mortality rates in the country do not reflect the conventional  U.S. wisdom. In Japan, less than 3 infants per 1000 live births die, compared with around 7 for the United States. Why?

We don’t know for sure. We do know that the Japanese sleep on a harder mattress that’s on the floor, two of the cosleeping best practices. They are also less overweight or obese than Americans, leaving a baby less likely to be suffocated by a parent rolling over in the middle of the night. Maternal smoking is drastically less in Japan, and more than 90% of women initiate breastfeeding. All of these are factors in reducing infant mortality rates.

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

The Problem with Cosleeping

The conventional American lifestyle is very much at odds with the safest cosleeping practices. Roughly one-third of adults in the United States are obese, a risk when it comes to cosleeping. Cosleeping literature also cautions against using alcohol and drugs while sleeping with baby, and that warning doesn’t even address the complications that pharmaceuticals could pose. Seven of every ten Americans are on a prescription medication, which disrupts the connection between mom and baby. That connection is a crucial part of successful cosleeping.

The Trade-off

When done safely, cosleeping is hugely beneficial to both parents and baby. Both parties get more sleep, mothers are more likely to breastfeed, and research indicates that children who cosleep are more independent later in life. Touch and closeness are integral to the human experience, especially for babies.

It’s infuriating that this study chose to concentrate on cosleeping as a key reason why the U.S. lags behind other affluent (and some not so affluent) nations when it comes to infant mortality. Cosleeping is the better option for your baby and for you but you have to be healthy enough to safely do it. This is the actual issue here. Why are so many Americans not healthy enough to cosleep safely?

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Quick Facts on Estrogen, Testosterone, Candida, and Autoimmune Disease

Have you ever wondered why autoimmune disorders are more likely to affect women? Or why middle-aged men have more heart attacks than their female peers? Our hormones do so much more than just regulate our moods…and they might also explain why some conditions are disproportionately associated with one sex over the other.

Inflammation

An examination of 250 years of mortality data has found that women are more likely to survive extreme conditions like famine and disease than men. One possible reason for this is the hormone estrogen, which boosts the immune system. While that’s good news for all of us ladies out there, estrogen is a double-edged sword. The same hormone that makes women less susceptible to bacterial and viral infections also leads to autoimmune disease, which conventional medicine believes is simply the immune system attacking its own healthy tissue, otherwise known as an “overactive immune system”.

On the other side of the same coin, testosterone has its own benefits, and drawbacks. In 2018, a study of mast cells, immune cells that release histamines, produce a signaling molecule designed to tone down inflammation when exposed to the hormone. Testosterone may also play a role in combating depression, as men suffering from depression typically have low testosterone levels. But that suppressed immune response can keep the body from reacting to potential health hazards, including pathogens. This results in many men ignoring subtle immune system warnings until it’s too late.

Must Read: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

Heart Disease

Men are more likely to experience heart attacks earlier in life than women, and both testosterone and estrogen play a role in this. Having too much or not enough testosterone puts men at greater risk (and likely women too, though studies are scarce). And estrogen stops white blood cells from adhering to the insides of blood vessels. This prevents dangerous blockages from occurring. For women, after menopause, the risk of heart disease rises significantly as estrogen decreases.

Autoimmune Disease, Estrogen, and Candida

Studies suggest that estrogen’s ability to increase immune system response leads to an overactive immune system, a.k.a. autoimmune disease. We suspect there is much more to it than this. Candida overgrowth is largely misunderstood and typically ignored within the conventional medical community. Research shows estrogen supports the growth of Candida. Anyone with autoimmune disease has Candida overgrowth. This is why women are far more likely to live with autoimmune disease.

Must Read: Fungal Infections – How to Eliminate Yeast, Candida, and Mold Infections For Good

Hormones Matter More Than We Think

Do we truly know how our modern conveniences – processed foods, multitudes of plastics, birth control – change us hormonally? Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women, and yet no one is treating it hormonally. Without an understanding of the body as a holistic system, we will never be able to properly address modern health concerns.

Must Read: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
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